After eighteen months of construction, METRO is set to move into its new logistics centre developed by global industrial property group, Goodman. The record- breaking building covers over 235,000 sqm – the size of 33 football fields and is the biggest logistics property in Europe. The new facility in Germany’s Ruhr region will play a central role in METRO’s new logistics strategy with Goodman managing the property for METRO for the long-term.

As one of the leading international food specialists, METRO will create around 1,000 new jobs in Marl and will start operating as the national central and regional warehouse for the Real-SB supermarkets and the METRO Cash & Carry wholesale stores in Germany. With this new facility as a base, the METRO will now deliver goods from Marl to stores in the western region, as well as certain items nationwide.

The new facility plays a key role in the modernisation and consolidation of the METRO logistics network. Thorsten Sega, Director Central Logistics and Warehouse Network Strategy at METRO LOGISTICS Germany GmbH, explains: “Our new logistics strategy is based on a strong warehouse network strategy. This means that we carried out an analysis to determine the geo-optimized locations for our warehouses, which led to the choice of a location in the centre of the metropolitan Rhine-Ruhr region.”

With a product range exceeding 20,000 food items and several hundred non-food items, METRO LOGISTICS required a warehouse that could provide fast and efficient delivery. The location of the warehouse in Marl means that it offers access to a metropolitan area with five million inhabitants. In addition, it’s close to the 2,200 kilometres of motorway in the region that connect with all of Germany’s major cities. The region also has Germany’s densest rail network and a close-knit waterways network.

Close collaboration the key to success

Close collaboration was essential to the success of this complex project. Previously a brownfield site which included a chemical plant, Goodman worked closely with the City of Marl, the district of Recklinghausen, its client METRO, neighbours and multiple contractors to bring the site to life. Christof Prange, Goodman’s Head of Business Development in Germany said: “The logistics centre in Marl shows that close cooperation generates benefits for all stakeholders – from delivering world class logistics facilities for the customer, to the creation of new jobs and meaningful revitalisation of disused industrial sites for the local area. Now we have developed the site for METRO, we look forward to our continued long-term relationship as our property services team goes on to manage the site for the group.”

Commenting on the process of working with Goodman, METRO’s Thorsten Sega concluded, “It was important to us to have the technical means, to have the financial means and ultimately to have the team that can implement everything – and Goodman delivered.”

The property is expected to receive a gold certificate from the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB).

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METRO set to expand as it moves into the largest logistics centre in Europe developed by Goodman Group

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