Metro AEBE is now able to supply its supermarkets and Cash & Carry stores in Macedonia, Thrace, Central and Western Greece within 24 hours through a new distribution center built in Thessaloniki, in the Gefira region, which was officially opened yesterday. in the presence of representatives of local government, as well as many leaders of well-known food processing enterprises and other suppliers of the company. The fast delivery, in fact, is not only the result of a significant expansion of the building that the company bought in 2016, an expansion that brings the total warehouse size to 45,000 m2, but also the result of many automations. and modern technologies used in its work.

Metro AEBE’s next objective in terms of strengthening the supply chain is also the establishment of a large distribution center of a similar size in Aspropyrgos, which will replace two smaller centers in Aspropyrgos and Mandre (4,000 sq.m. and 21,000 sq.m. respectively). The company, according to its president and managing director, Aristoteli Panteliadis, is close to finding a suitable property to buy, but has not yet entered into any relevant agreement. In total, the company plans an investment of 280 million euros for the period 2023-2026, which also includes strengthening its network with 90 new stores by 2025, most of which will be convenience stores (shops near the house). The brand is My Market Local and will operate in franchising mode. In fact, Mr. Panteliadis announced yesterday that the first My Market Local will operate in Thessaloniki in early 2024. The company’s plans also include opening a new cash store in Drama, and similar investments in Lesvos and other major islands are not ruled out.

His next goal is to establish a distribution center of a similar size in Aspropyrgos.

The new distribution center at Gefyra Thessaloniki is a €24 million investment and employs 180 people. It has 76 loading bays, 23,500 storage locations serving 18,500 codes, and handles 1.5 million boxes per month across 860 monthly routes. Now, through this warehouse, the company’s stores are supplied with products from suppliers, which corresponds to 87% of the total turnover in the region, which means lower costs for the company, increased productivity, and reduced environmental impact.

The reduction in environmental impact is achieved, of course, by the very technology that is used to operate the distribution center. In addition to installing LED lamps, which provide a 73.2% reduction in lighting energy consumption and a 13.18% reduction in overall energy consumption, the cooling system is designed to avoid 187 tons of carbon dioxide per year, as well as save energy 9 .38%. In addition, the installation of photovoltaic systems with a total capacity of 2.47 MW is expected to be completed by the end of 2023, which is estimated to produce 3.3 gigawatt-hours, covering 70% of the site’s annual energy needs.