National retailer Marks & Spencer has confirmed a major jobs boost for the district as it unveiled its huge £40 million distribution centre in Bradford.

The 1.1million sq ft building with environmentally-friendly features – the size of 15 Valley Parade football pitches – is now complete and will be officially opened in July.

The vast base at ProLogis Park, off Rooley Lane, will be used as M&S’s largest distribution centre, serving more than 700 of its stores across the country.

In all 1,200 people will be employed at the business park once it is fully operational.

A spokesman for M&S said the warehouse would contain non-refrigerated foods and home furnishings for distribution to all parts of the UK.

There are 200 people currently employed at the warehouse with another 100 jobs to be filled in the next two months at the 90-acre ProLogis Park development, near the M606 on the former West Bowling Golf Club site.

The carbon neutral warehouse has been designated “excellent” by BREEAM, an organisation which measures buildings’ environmental performance.

It includes office space for administrative staff and changing rooms to encourage cycling to the site.

Danny Swan, capital and infrastructure manager for M&S, said the year’s bad weather, had caused delays of about four weeks. He said: “We have all worked really hard to make up the time from those delays and we are now in and utilising the building. All our operations are now running as we would have hoped and on schedule.”

The next phase of the overall development will include 250,000 sq ft of warehousing and offices for small to medium sized businesses. That will create hundreds more jobs.

Daniel Himsworth, a spokesman for M&S, said: “Bradford is a key part of our strategic logistics programme and the centre will be used as a distribution base for across the UK. We are absolutely delighted to be involved in the area.”