Aldi will close its distribution centre and head office in Zaandam over the course of next year. The location is not future-proof, argues the discounter.
Aldi operates under several bv's in the Netherlands. Each bv has its own head office, with a distribution centre attached to it. The Zaandam branch is closing, leaving Aldi with no bv's left in North Holland. Shops in the region will in future be supplied by the distribution centre in Zoetermeer.
Social plan
The closure in Zaandam means around 125 employees will lose their jobs. These include employees in the office, distribution centre and drivers. The supermarket chain intends to "optimally facilitate" them towards new work. "Many of them have been employed by Aldi for a long time. We have contacted the trade unions and invited them to hold discussions with us to arrive at a social plan," said Bastiaan van Loon, managing director of Aldi Zoetermeer and Aldi Zaandam.
New distribution centre Deventer
The move is part of the renewal strategy Aldi announced earlier this year. The supermarket chain is building a 42,000-square-metre distribution centre in Deventer. This building will replace the distribution centres in Groenlo and Ommen. The new building should be operational by the end of 2021. Around that time, the other sites will close their doors.
Image: nitpicker / Shutterstock.com
