Wesfarmers-owned online retailer Catch is planning to open its first fulfilment centre outside Victoria with a new facility in Moorebank, NSW.

The new 36,000-square-metre site will provide 120 jobs in construction and operation, according to Catch, which cites Australia Post research showing 57 per cent year-on-year growth in online purchasing to $50.46 billion.

Peter Sauerborn, Catch.

According to Peter Sauerborn, managing director of Catch, the distribution centre – which will feature advanced automation and robotics technology – will improve service, including product offering and delivery times, to customers particularly in Queensland and NSW.

“We are thrilled to be opening our first fulfilment centre in New South Wales, expanding our national footprint and helping our customers get the products they need when they need them, right across Australia.

“The Moorebank fulfilment centre will be our most technologically sophisticated centre to date,” he said.

Catch’s new site – its third in Australia – will be close to Amazon’s Sydney distribution centre in Moorebank, in a sign that the home-grown e-tailer is stepping up its battle against the American goliath. It is slated to open in the first quarter of 2022.