Bestseller signs deal for giant Netherlands logistics hub

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jun 16, 2022

Danish fashion giant Bestseller has signed a deal to build a high-tech logistics centre in Lelystad, the Netherlands. It will invest DKK2 billion (€265 million) to build the centre, making it the biggest single investment in its history.

The Jack & Jones and Vero Moda owner had originally flagged its intention to build the facility last autumn and it has now officially confirmed this investment. It makes it the latest in a raft of fashion retailers to spend heavily on logistics as they ramp up their efforts to get products to consumers in multiple geographies at the fastest possible rate.

The centre will employ 500 “highly skilled people” and will be “critical for expanding the company’s supply chain and supporting its growth, bringing [it] closer to the biggest wholesale customers and largest retail markets in Europe”.

The firm’s logistics director Allan Kyhe Kjærgaard said: “Logistics is an increasingly important focus area for [us] and the whole retail industry. Increasing capacity and creating a flexible supply chain is crucial to getting our products to customers on time. That’s why we are investing ambitiously and building this high-tech, sustainable distribution centre.”

The hub will be 60 km from Amsterdam with port, road and rail access. Lelystad is “ideally placed to be a high-tech, sustainable logistic hub to supply the European markets”.

The facility will be built with a focus on automation and sustainability – both inside and outside the centre. It will have a storage capacity up two million cartons and 5,300,000 pieces picked per week. And it should be fully operational in 2026.

The Netherlands is one of the firm’s top five largest markets for both retail and wholesale, with over 450 stores in the country.