Zalando has officially opened its third logistics centre in Poland to increase capacity for deliveries to customers in Poland, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic.
The new 130,000 sqm DHL-operated fulfilment centre is located at Głuchów, near Lodz in the centre of the country, and is expected to create 2,500 jobs in the long term. The central location offers good access to the main east-west and north-south motorways.
The European online fashion and lifestyle marketplace said the ramp-up marks an important milestone in its logistics network expansion with two Polish fulfilment centers serving its growing customer base and one logistics site taking care of Zalando Lounge deliveries.
The fulfilment centre in Głuchów is one of the biggest sites in Poland, housing similar cutting-edge intralogistics as its second Polish logistics centre near Szczecin. For example, it has two five-story high “pick towers” that store several million items at once. High standards in automation are reached with four so-called “Optimus” sorters, which sort items to the respective order.
The centre, which will be handling orders mainly from Poland, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic, is managed by DHL Supply Chain, which already employs around 1,200 people there. In the long term, DHL aims to employ approximately 2,500 workers to further ramp up the fulfilment centre.
Neil Bennett, Director Warehouse Operations at Zalando, said: “Our logistics network continues to grow in step with Zalando’s overall growth. Now, with Głuchów supporting us in fulfilling our customers’ needs, we are delighted to have the site joining our setup. Together with our trusted partner DHL, we are certain to continue delivering the top-notch service that our customers know and expect from us.”
Andries Retief, CEO DHL Supply Chain Central and Eastern Europe, added: “DHL Supply Chain is proud of our association with Zalando and we look forward to continuing our support of Zalando’s growth strategy in Głuchów. We consistently focus on providing a premium service and exceptional quality to Zalando through investment in our people and processes. Ultimately, the success of our cooperation with Zalando is reflected in having a satisfied end customer and we keep this in mind at all times.”
The European online fashion and lifestyle marketplace’s other two sites in Poland are a similarly-sized fulfilment centre near the north-west city of Szczecin and a 130,000 sqm facility at Olsztynek, in the north-east of the country, which opened in March 2019 and is dedicated to fulfilment for Zalando Lounge.
Overall, the German-based company now has 15 fulfilment centres in six European countries. A 130,000 sqm facility went into operation near Verona in northern Italy last month.
The company is currently investing €200 million in a new 140,000 sqm facility at Bleiswijk, near Rotterdam, that will open in summer 2021, catering to customers in Western Europe (mostly Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain and UK).
