Panattoni has started its third BTS project for French supermarket chain Carrefour. The investment, which has an area of 50,000 sqm, is under development in Będzin, the part of Dąbrowa Basin. The major benefits for Carrefour will be its location in the centre of the Silesian province and its excellent connections with the A1 and A4 motorways.
Panattoni has so far completed two BTS projects for Carrefour with a combined area of 102,000 sqm. Now it is launching another investment tailored to this multi-channel and multi-format retail network. The developer will provide 50,000 sqm for the chain in Będzin, of which 13,035 sqm will be used as a technologically-advanced cold store consisting of four cooling zones able to respond to the outside temperature. The cooling chambers will reach a clear height of 10.5m, while the rest of the building has to have heights of up to 13m to allow the intended operations to take place. The project will also feature a range of environmentally-friendly solutions. For instance, Panattoni is planning to create a 5,000 sqm green roof, which, thanks to its sound-absorbing and thermal insulation properties, will reduce noise pollution and also insulate the rooms from overheating in the summer and cooling down in the winter. In addition, the developer is to prepare green zones with office space. The project is to be built to BREEAM ‘Excellent’ certification standards, in line with Panattoni’s own recently enhanced requirements. The location of the new facility will allow Carrefour to supply its stores throughout the region and will further develop the rapidly growing e-grocery segment in Silesian province.
“The projects we are developing for Carrefour, due to the variety of the products to be stored, require personalisation at the highest level – and this is what Panattoni can guarantee, which is why the cooperation we have with each other continues to flourish. We deliver facilities in key locations that help to build up the brand in the country, enabling Carrefour to optimise its supply chain and service its network of stores even more efficiently. The choice of Będzin for the latest project will ensure both access to employees and to all the most important centres in the region of southern Poland,” says Marek Dobrzycki, Managing Director at Panattoni.
Panattoni has so far delivered almost 1.9 million sqm of space in Silesian province, of which almost 700,000 sqm has been developed as tailor-made facilities. The large population of this region of Poland (almost 4.5 million) and its density (364 people per sq/km) as well as its other advantages makes this a very attractive region for enterprises to locate their investments in. By choosing Będzin, Carrefour Poland has gained a location in the central part of the province – approx. 7 km from Sosnowiec city centre, just over 10 km from Katowice and less than 20 km from Bytom and Chorzów. The proximity of the S1 expressway will provide efficient access to the A1 motorway, while the A4 motorway will be about 20 km from the project. Due to this, it will be possible to reach Kraków in about 1.5 hours. The location of the project also has international potential: it is just an hour’s drive from the Czech border and approx. 20 km from the international airport in Katowice.
The Carrefour chain currently comprises more than 950 stores in six formats: hypermarkets, supermarkets, wholesale and discount stores, specialist stores and local stores. Carrefour is also constantly developing its e-grocery segment.
“The new distribution centre in Będzin is Carrefour Polska’s latest logistics investment that we are implementing together with Panattoni. Together, we opened a warehouse in Rawa Mazowiecka last year, and we are currently expanding our warehouse in Bydgoszcz,” says Marek Lipka, a member of the management board and commercial director of Carrefour Polska. “The new warehouses are aimed at increasing the quality and availability of fresh products for Carrefour’s customers, with particular emphasis on the quality of fruit and veg. The new distribution centre in Będzin will replace the current warehouse that supplies stores in southern Poland. In this new, larger facility, together with Panattoni, we have introduced modern solutions and equipment, which will surely be a noticeable benefit – not only for Carrefour’s customers but also the suppliers and transport companies cooperating with us.”
The choice of Panattoni for the Będzin project follows the developer’s efficient delivery of Carrefour facilities in Bydgoszcz and Rawa Mazowiecka. In the Bydgoszcz project, which totals more than 38,000 sqm, the developer has also built a cooling room – of approx. 9,000 sqm – with an ammonia-based cooling system and additional roof insulation. Panattoni has also provided a 0–2°C zone for meat and dairy products, and a 4–7°C zone for storing fruit and veg. The 63,600 sqm project in Rawa Mazowiecka has also been divided into a number of temperature zones designed for the specific products to be stored in them. Its location allows Carrefour to efficiently supply the markets of Central and Eastern Poland.
