HEMA opened a new distribution centre in Nieuwegein on Monday. The 34,000-square-metre building is mainly intended for the delivery of HEMA's partners, such as Franprix and Casino in France. CEVA Logistics is responsible for day-to-day operations there.
HEMA's new distribution location is located at industrial estate Het Klooster, close to the existing distribution centre in Utrecht Lage Weide. In Utrecht, HEMA could not expand sufficiently in the long term, so a second distribution centre was chosen.
Capacity growth for partners
The distribution centre in Nieuwegein mainly offers capacity growth for partners. The retail chain is increasingly working with partners such as Jumbo, Franprix and Casino and with franchisees in Mexico, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. More capacity is needed to supply all those partners. The DC in Nieuwegein will fulfil this role.
"HEMA is growing and the capacity of the current HEMA distribution centre in Utrecht Lage Weide is insufficient in the future to support the growth of our beautiful brand," explains Ton Broeren, Head of Logistics at HEMA. "This is why we decided to expand at this location, close to our current distribution centre. This fits in with our strategy to grow with partners and to make HEMA a truly global brand."
For the distribution centre, HEMA chose to outsource to CEVA Logistics. Boeren: "With their international knowledge and experience, they make an important contribution to HEMA's growth."
Solar panels
The new distribution location received the BREEAM sustainability label 'Excellent'. There are 9,000 solar panels on the roof with an output of around 3,000 megawatts. Enough to power 600 households in addition to its own use. LED lighting is present throughout the building and there is a lot of attention to indoor and outdoor greenery. On the outside grounds, there are bee hives and bat and owl hives.
