Lekkerland has opened a new logistics centre around 25 kilometres north of Hanover. The location now plays an important role in supplying customers in northern Germany: on the one hand, it is the starting point for direct deliveries to around 4,000 customers. On the other hand, the Hanover logistics centre will act as a central warehouse for northern Germany in future and, in this function, will deliver slow-moving items from the food and tobacco sectors to other Lekkerland locations.

"The launch of the Hanover logistics centre is a milestone on the way to our goal of positioning Lekkerland logistics for the future," says Dirk Klein-Hietpas, Senior Vice President Logistics & Supply Chain Management at Lekkerland. "We are continuing to develop our logistics so that we can continue to optimally support our customers in participating in the positive development of out-of-home consumption in the future."

Around 250 employees work at the new location in Wedemark near Hanover. Lekkerland stores more than 10,000 products, including food, beverages, non-food items and tobacco products, in the logistics centre, which covers around 34,000 square metres.

A new Lekkerland warehouse in Kerpen-Türnich went into operation at the end of 2022. Around 200 people are employed in the 28,000 square metre logistics centre. It is the starting point for supplying around 2,600 to-go vendors between Düsseldorf and Bonn, including petrol stations, kiosks and coffee stores.

In addition to the general increase in demand, the growing interest of many consumers in fresh products such as salads and sandwiches is one of the most important developments in out-of-home consumption. Against this backdrop, the new Lekkerland site has large areas for storing chilled and frozen products. Lekkerland had previously served its customers in the greater Düsseldorf/Cologne/Bonn area from its logistics centre in Frechen. This location was closed at the end of the year.

Lekkerland wants to make its logistics in Germany fit for current and future growth opportunities by 2030. The "Network of the Future" project provides for the construction of new locations and the expansion of existing logistics centres. In view of the expected further growth in fresh and frozen products, one focus is on significantly expanding the warehouse capacities for these product ranges. The new Cologne logistics centre at the Kerpen site, which will open in 2022, will house the largest warehouse for chilled products to date.