Panattoni Europe will build the main warehouse for Leroy Merlin in Central Poland, Łódź Voivodeship. The facility will exceed 123,600 m² at ground level, which makes it a record-breaking project in the Polish warehouse market. Construction works are scheduled to begin already in Q2 of this year and are expected to end in Q4 2019. The facility will undergo the BREEAM environmental certification process aiming for a Good rating.
The warehouse will account for 121,212 m², while office and staff facilities will take up 2,420 m². The lease transaction was mediated by the advisory agency JLL.
The decision to go ahead with the new warehouse is closely related to the development plans of Leroy Merlin Polska and the transformation of the company’s supply chain.
Krzysztof Niciejewski, Senior Manager for Central Logistics, Leroy Merlin Polska comments: 'To guarantee the right level of service and best availability for our customers, we have decided to consolidate distribution. Such a move will give us greater flexibility in managing stocks of products that we offer at our stores. Under one roof, we combine various distribution channels, such as x-dock, stock and direct deliveries from the warehouse to the customer. Our e-commerce service will also be moved from Stryków to the new location in Piątek to develop our product and service offering for our customers. Development of central logistics is a must in today’s market and Leroy Merlin Polska understands it perfectly. Following the change of our warehouse management system in 2017, the time has now come to consolidate and develop distribution channels. It will enable us to fully deliver on our promise to the customers, that we help them achieve the home of their dreams. We have already collaborated with Panattoni Europe on earlier projects. Thanks to such experience, Panattoni understands our needs and operating principles, which will help us complete the investment in Piątek on time and to standard'.
This is the third development by Panattoni Europe for Leroy Merlin. The first two were built in Stryków, and one of them, a 56,000 m² facility from 2008, was a record-breaker at the time. The most recent project is another record holder – apart from the gigantic space at ground level, the site will also feature a 10,000 m² roofed enclosure for keeping goods which do not require indoor storage and a car park for 25 trucks and 150 cars. The warehouse itself will have 160 docks and 6 ground-level drive-in gates. It will also comply with green building requirements – it will undergo the BREEAM environmental certification process aiming for a Good rating, which entails, among others, the use of innovative LED lighting system or enhanced daylighting inside the building.
Marek Dobrzycki, Managing Director, Panattoni Europe comments: 'As a developer, we support our clients at every stage of business operations, and the contracts signed with Leroy Merlin are the best example. Over the past decade, they commissioned the development of two logistics centres to us, and today, as they consolidate the space occupied to date, Panattoni Europe gets chosen again. This testifies not only to our superior flexibility in operations but also to the trust and satisfaction of decision-makers charging us with the task of delivering some of the most critical points of their business development strategy'.
‘Understanding the needs of Leroy Merlin was one of the most important elements of the transaction. Parameters related to the location, size of the building, technical aspects as well as the delivery time of the facility were critical points on the basis of which the JLL team developed the adequate strategy and approach to the project. We have supported Leroy Merlin at every stage of the transaction and we believe that the new warehouse in the selected location and delivered by a reliable partner will allow to develop the chain of stores and thus respond to the growing consumer demands’, said Paulina Dziubińska, Associate Director, Industrial Agency, JLL.
