Picnic has raised 250 million euros in an investment round. The online supermarket is using that amount for a new robotised distribution centre in Utrecht.
To the AD, founder Frederik Nieuwenhuys reveals that the distribution centre has already been built. The building is on the Lage Weide industrial estate, on the A2 motorway in Utrecht. In two years' time, the DC will be fully equipped and ready for use, by which time the automated distribution centre should supply 150,000 households with groceries every week.
Automation and robotisation
The building covers an area of 42,000 square metres and will accommodate more than 200,000 crates of products. The site will be equipped with 100 fully automated sorting, packing, and distribution machines specially developed by Picnic.
Picnic expects to employ around 1,000 people in Utrecht, who will have to carry and lift less due to automation, says co-founder Michiel Muller. "The work will be more varied."
Current distribution centres
Picnic's other seven distribution centres will remain open for the time being. Muller: "We want to build more robotised centres in the future, then we will look at what happens to our existing buildings."
Investment coming from 4 families
The €250m growth money comes from four families who previously put €100m into the fast-growing company - the Fentener van Vlissingen (NPM Capital), Hoyer (Hoyberg), De Rijcke (Kruidvat) and Finci (supermarket chain Boni) families. ABN Amro provided a loan of EUR 50 million.
