Ratingen, Germany, 2017-May-06 — /EPR Retail News/ — On 26 April 2017, Esprit opened the new 80,000 sqm logistics center in Mönchengladbach, Germany, together with Goodman, a global leading owner, developer and manager of logistics real estate. The new facility is an expansion of the existing 53,000 sqm property occupied by Esprit and operated by the Fiege Group. As one of the largest fashion logistics centers in Germany, the expanded facility will be used to supply Esprit’s own stores and wholesale customers across Europe.
As part of an extensive transformation process, Esprit has comprehensively optimized many internal processes. One important component of this restructuring is the best possible improvement in efficiency of the logistics processes of the company. This objective is also served by the expansion of the spaces in the logistics center in Mönchengladbach. After extension, the logistics center now has a total area of 133,000 sqm and special equipment features for example such as 24,000 sqm mezzanine space with four cargo lifts and 80 loading gates. Esprit is consolidating several regional warehouses in Mönchengladbach and will in future use the property for Europe-wide distribution.
“The additional capacity at Regiopark Mönchengladbach is an essential component of our strategic restructuring at Esprit and the associated further development of the business model. Thanks to the modern concept for the extension of Goodman’s property, we will in future supply our partners and our own shops in a way that is even faster and demand based,” emphasizes Jose Antonio Ramos, Chief Commercial Officer at Esprit.
Jordan Corynen, Goodman Regional Director for Germany, Austria and Switzerland commenting on the rapidly changing market dynamics affecting retailers like Esprit, said: “Shorter product lifecycles, product line extensions, changing shopping habits and fierce competition for the fastest delivery time are just a few of the challenges facing the retail industry which can put significant strain on a company’s logistics operations. We help our customers meet these demands by providing future-proof facilities in top locations.”
Logistics service partner Fiege, will continue to run the operations of the logistics center and will be increasing the number of employees in the center to around 750. The company has been working for 16 years in partnership with Esprit and has been providing the fashion retailer with a variety of logistics services in this time.
The premier location for textile and fashion logistics:
The facility in the Regiopark Mönchengladbach is located just 1 kilometer from the A61. The site is also well connected to the national road network via the A44, A46 and A52 motorways. As such, the Regiopark is perfectly suited for the fast and reliable distribution of goods to Germany and Europe, in particular to the Benelux countries. Over the last few years, the Regiopark Mönchengladbach has developed into one of the most important locations for textile and fashion logistics in Germany and the City of Mönchengladbach has been positive about the development.
With the completion of the logistics center for Esprit, Goodman is further expanding its presence in this strategically important logistics location. In Mönchengladbach, the property group has previously developed a distribution center of over 130,000 sqm, occupied by Zalando, and a logistics center of 22,500 sqm, occupied by the logistics providers Logwin and Vetten, who are jointly active for a major fashion retailer.
The project was realized by Goodman for a subsidiary of the Goodman European Partnership (GEP), Goodman’s leading European investment vehicle. GEP has a portfolio of over 110 properties across 10 countries which already includes the existing 53,000 sqm warehouse for Esprit.
SOURCE: Esprit