Chinese robots reshape UK warehouses as productivity pressures mount

When you order something online and hit purchase, a squat silver robot is likely already moving beneath a warehouse shelf somewhere in Britain, lifting it and carrying it to a waiting worker. These machines, built by the Chinese company Geek+, have become a fixture in the country's logistics infrastructure. Major retailers—Tesco, Asda, Next—now rely on them. The company has deployed more than 2,000 robots across 10 UK warehouse sites through its local partner MotionTech, making Britain Geek+'s largest European market.

Geek+ listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange last year in one of 2025's biggest robotics offerings, and it now leads the world in autonomous mobile robot supply. The appeal is straightforward: these machines automate the repetitive work of moving goods, allowing retailers to increase picking speeds, store inventory in spaces humans cannot easily reach, and reduce errors. Unlike older warehouse automation systems that require fixed conveyor belts and permanent infrastructure, Geek+'s robots need only QR code floor markers and safety fencing to operate. They are, in other words, plug-and-play solutions for a sector hungry for efficiency.

Britain's appetite for such technology runs deep. The country has endured more than a decade of weak productivity growth, and economists increasingly view robotics adoption as essential to reversing that trend. The OECD's 2026 report on small and medium enterprise technology adoption in the UK noted that while British firms have embraced mature digital tools, they lag significantly in robotics and automation—a gap the organization described as "surprising" given the nation's manufacturing heritage. The UK has one of Europe's largest e-commerce and logistics sectors, yet many warehouses remain in early automation stages. That mismatch creates opportunity. Barry Pemberton, an account director at MotionTech, frames the demand plainly: customers want fast-deployable solutions that deliver high volume, high storage, and fast picking on smaller footprints with fewer workers. "We seem to have a very big shortage of labour in the UK at the moment," he says. "These technologies are really important to keep businesses thriving and meet demand."

But the expansion of robotics in British warehouses sits within a larger geopolitical story about China's technological ambitions. Beijing has made robotics a strategic priority under President Xi Jinping's push for what he calls "new quality productive forces." With China's working-age population shrinking, policymakers see automation as essential to maintaining manufacturing competitiveness. Researchers at the Brookings Institution note that China's robotics sector is building directly on its electric vehicle ecosystem—batteries, motors, cameras, sensors, and semiconductors developed for EVs are now flowing into robots. The EV maker XPeng, for instance, unveiled a humanoid robot called Iron last year. Its founder, He Xiaopeng, told the BBC he no longer views XPeng as merely a carmaker. "We want XPeng to be a high-tech company," he said. "In the future, any car company will transform into a car and robotics company." Analysts suggest China's robotics push could follow the same trajectory as its EV dominance—leveraging manufacturing prowess, dense supplier networks, and rapid product development to establish an early global lead.

That ambition, however, faces headwinds. This week, the US banned imports of new foreign-made advanced robots, citing national security concerns. The Chinese embassy in Washington responded by accusing the US of politicizing trade. The move signals that robotics, like semiconductors and artificial intelligence before it, is becoming a contested domain in great power competition.

Meanwhile, the labour implications of this shift are not lost on British unions. The Trades Union Congress, which represents nearly 6 million UK workers, has urged the government to ensure that robotics is deployed to raise productivity and improve jobs, not simply to cut labour costs. In its response to the government's AI and innovation strategy consultation, the TUC called for workers and unions to be involved in automation decisions and for employers to invest in retraining. The organization warned against "low-productivity automation" focused on job-cutting rather than genuine efficiency gains.

Geek+ itself is already looking beyond warehouse floor robots. The company is working on end-to-end unmanned warehouse solutions—automating not just the movement of goods but also picking, handling, and eventually packing. Across China, companies like AgiBot and Unitree are investing billions in humanoid robots, though the business case for humanoids remains less clear than for wheeled robots designed for specific tasks. Developers argue that factories, hospitals, and offices were built around human workers, so humanoids might eventually operate in diverse environments without requiring workplace redesign. But current technology still struggles with tasks requiring fine dexterity. For now, humanoid robots remain complementary to existing automation rather than transformative. Chinese companies already account for the vast majority of global humanoid deployments, but widespread warehouse adoption may be years away.

For Britain, facing both productivity pressures and labour shortages, the warehouses filling with Chinese robots represent something more than a logistics solution. They are becoming an early testing ground for the next wave of Chinese technology exports—and a window into how automation will reshape work in the years ahead.