E-tailer Etrias has opened its first own distribution centre in Boxtel. The move took place in the busiest time ever for Etrias. 'A hell of a task', says the web store chain.
Etrias is a web store chain of fifty online specialty shops, such as Panwinkel.com, Dekbedwinkel.com and Badkamerstore.nl. At the time of its establishment, nine years ago, Etrias' packages were packed and shipped from the kitchen table. In subsequent years, logistics were outsourced to e-Warehousing, a logistics service provider for online shops. Now that Etrias serves more than 500,000 customers annually, there is sufficient scale to open its own distribution centre.
Central location
The building has an area of 4,500 square metres. Etrias' head office is also moving to Boxtel. The e-tailer opted for a central location between Eindhoven, Tilburg and 's Hertogenbosch, in order to be able to attract sufficient personnel from these cities. In addition, the hubs of the two main logistics partners, DHL's in Zaltbommel and DPD's in Oirschot, are easily accessible from Boxtel.
Relocation in corona time
The move of 80,000 products to the new distribution centre in Boxtel was initially planned during the quietest time of the year. Due to the corona crisis, Etrias suddenly found itself busier than ever during this period. Customers bought large numbers of products for in and around the house. The online shop hired 50 new employees to get orders out on time. Despite the extra manpower, the move took six weeks longer than the original planning of fourteen weeks.
