Switzerland’s Coop has opened its largest logistics centre to date, which boasts the biggest industrial-scale bakery in the country.
The new facility, located in Schafisheim, Argovie, is capable of producing 60,000 tonnes of bread and other baked goods, such as cakes and biscuits, per year. The retailer said that the site features 'traditional wood-fired ovens which allow for the preparation of golden-crusted breads with unmatchable taste'.
The facility will serve 350 outlets in the northwest and centre of Switzerland (covering the Zurich region), and employs 1,900 people. It also distributes a vast array of non-baked SKUs to Coop supermarkets such as meats, yoghurts, frozen chips, vegetables, bottled water, and other refrigerated produce.
Leo Ebneter, head of logistics for the supermarket chain, describes the facility as representing “a new era” for the company.
It has emphasised the relatively small carbon footprint of the plant, which derives 250,000 kilowatt-hours of solar energy each year. Coop also employs rail transport, which cuts down on energy expended by trucks in moving goods across the country.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Peter Donnelly. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
