Due to the explosive growth in online groceries, Picnic is opening its distribution centre in Apeldoorn earlier than planned. Not in December, but in May, Picnic's largest distribution centre will open its doors. The staff shortage that Picnic was struggling with in recent years is no longer an issue since the corona crisis.
Picnic is currently three times busier than before the corona crisis. The planned complex at business park Ecofacterij in Apeldoorn will therefore be opened earlier. This will be Picnic's sixth and largest distribution centre. "This will enable us to collect thousands of additional orders in Apeldoorn every day," said the company. The online supermarket expects the rush to continue even after the Corona crisis. "Corona has accelerated online grocery shopping.
Hospitality staff
The online mass retailer is working hard to expand capacity. Last week, three hundred new employees were hired. Picnic had struggled to find enough staff in recent years. Now that many other sectors have shut down, this is no longer an issue. The new staff members come in part from catering employment agency Mise en Place. Co-founder Michiel Muller in the AD: "Very crude, because there is hardly any work in that sector now. We expect to hire a few hundred more people in the coming weeks.''
Filling crates
The company is also expanding morning deliveries and the minimum order amount has been raised from 25 to 35 euros. The latter has to do with the filling rate of grocery crates. "Our data data shows that at 25 euro orders, very often a second crate is needed in the delivery trolley, which contains almost nothing. This can be solved by changing the order amount to 35 euros. That way, the second crate is well filled and we can work a lot more efficiently".
Robotised DC Utrecht
Picnic is also building a new robotic distribution centre in Utrecht. The opening of the building, which is already built but still being fitted out, is planned for 2021. This date will not be pushed forward for now.
Image: Dafinchi / Shutterstock.com
