Germany’s Edeka has commenced the construction of a new logistics facility for fresh produce in Hirschaid.
The company is investing approximately €100 million in the facility, which will feature state-of-the-art, climate-neutral technology, according to the retailer.
The project is part of a €600 million infrastructure package at Edeka Nordbayern-Sachsen-Thüringen.
Edeka board spokesman, Sebastian Kohrmann, said, “Hirschaid was our preferred location from the start. [...] With our total investment package of €600 million to modernise our logistics and production infrastructure, we will future-proof our cooperative for the next generation.
“The modernisation package is the basis for being able to keep our growth rate high in the future. After all, we are the market leader in our region and want to stay that way.”
Ground-Breaking Ceremony
Bavarian minister of state for environment and consumer protection, Thorsten Faithr, was present at the ground-breaking ceremony of the site, as guest of honour.
Others present at the event include Holger Dremel, member of the Bavarian state parliament, Bruno Kellner, deputy district administrator for the district of Bamberg and Klaus Homann, mayor of the market town of Hirschaid.
Representatives from politics and administration, employees of the Edeka Group and external partners were also present.
The Facility
The new facility will be built on a 78,000 square metre site, with 22,000 square metres allocated for the building.
Around 11,300 square metres of the facility will cater to logistics and around 10,700 square metres for production and administration.
From the end of 2024, the logistics centre will supply fresh goods to more than 400 Edeka outlets on a daily basis.
The range will include meat products, regional sausage specialities, vegan fresh products as well as cheese and fish from Hirschaid.
Upon completion, the facility will offer around 420 new jobs as well as various training opportunities in the areas of quality and food management.
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest supply chain news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
