Discount Retail Chain Lidl Switzerland (owned by the German Schwarz Group) inaugurates the new logistics building right next to the existing logistics center in Weinfelden. After almost a year of construction and CHF 35 million (US$38 million) investments in the location, the new warehouse was officially opened.
Lidl Switzerland has more than arrived in Switzerland and opens around 10-12 stores every year. Due to this growth, Lidl Switzerland needs new storage space and is now opening a new warehouse right next to the existing goods distribution center in Weinfelden. The Corona situation in particular has shown how important functioning logistics and sufficient capacities are for supplying the Swiss population with food.
The new building is mainly used for the handling of fruits and vegetables as well as the storage of seasonal non-food items and is an extension of the existing goods distribution center, which is located directly next to the new building. On a gross floor area of almost 23,000m2, around 10,000 pallet spaces will be created in the two-storey, modular building. The building has 17 loading ramps and was realized in cooperation with over 70 companies. Over 95 percent of the construction and real estate investments at Lidl Switzerland flow to regional service providers from Switzerland.
The new warehouse will employ over 50 new employees. Lidl Switzerland already employs over 660 people at the Weinfelden location and over 4,500 nationwide.
Fruit ripening
The highlight of the project is its own fruit ripening facility, which enables the ripening process to be integrated into its own value chain. In this integrated ripening facility, the still green bananas are fully ripened and then brought to the branches. In addition to bananas, exotic fruits such as mangoes or avocados could also be ripened on site in the future. In the new ripening facility in Weinfelden, bananas are now ripened for all 157 Lidl stores nationwide.
Sustainable construction
When designing the building, careful attention was paid to sustainable construction. The building will be built according to the Minergie standard, modern and spacious ancillary / break rooms will be designed and only natural refrigerants will be used in later operation. Lidl Switzerland is also planning to build a PVA on the roof of the new building. Lidl Switzerland recently installed a photovoltaic system with an area of over 20,000 m2 on the roof of the existing goods distribution center in Weinfelden. This plant is the largest in the canton of Thurgau and produces over 4 million kWh of electricity annually. This could supply around 1,500 households for a whole year.
See here for more: https://www.fruchtportal.de/artikel/lidl-schweiz-frchte-und-gemselager-wird-eingeweiht/051930?i=aa17e008
