Panattoni Europe completes the construction of 32,000 sqm for Decathlon

Panattoni Europe, Poland’s leader in industrial real estate, has completed the construction of a modern logistics centre for Decathlon. The 32,000-square-metre investment is based in Łódź and is the company’s second central warehouse in Poland. The facility is dedicated to serving both stationary stores and online sales. The official opening of the facility took place on 13 April, and the ceremony was attended by representatives of both companies as well as municipal authorities.

Sport for all – all for sport. Under this motto, Panattoni Europe and Decathlon officially opened the central warehouse of the international manufacturer and distributor of sports clothes and equipment. The facility delivered by the developer features 32,000 sqm, with as much as 30,000 sqm taken up by the warehouse, which is divided into 3 zones. Staff and office facilities take up 1,000 sqm and the same amount of space will be earmarked for a workshop – to support the service function of Decathlon stores. Additionally, the investment features a 27 m x 12 m sports ground. This is Decathlon’s second warehouse in Poland, and later this month it will serve Poland, Scandinavia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, with Slovakia and the Czech Republic to be added in the future – both stationary stores and the online store.

Robert Dobrzycki, Chief Executive Officer Europe, Panattoni Europe, comments: “This investment provides yet more evidence of the boom enjoyed by the warehousing sector in Poland, which is stimulated by positive economic conditions overall and strong growth in e-commerce, which generates the need for such investments as the one for Decathlon – a central distribution warehouse, which will be responsible for serving a number of markets. For Panattoni Europe, too, this is a great achievement – again we have been able to support a major market player and business leader with our professional expertise, knowledge of the needs of e-commerce and experience.”

Decathlon has been present in Poland since 2001 – when its first store opened at CH Warszawa Targówek. Today, the chain comprises 46 brick-and-mortar stores throughout the country, and also runs an online store, systematically implementing its motto “Sport for all – all for sport”. The company’s continued growth has made it necessary to go forward with the investment in Łódź.

Decathlon’s logistics centre is a rotation warehouse – it is divided into 3 zones, with 10,000 sqm each, featuring both low-bay and high-bay storage. The e-commerce section has special ramps dedicated to individual regions. This is where all orders from the online store – about a thousand a day – will be fulfilled. LED lighting has been put into the entire facility, as well as additional skylights and windows which increase daylight penetration.

Decathlon’s central warehouse boasts an excellent location – in the vicinity of the existing Panattoni Park Łódź East in the eastern part of Łódź, the Widzew-Olechów district at Aleja Ofiar Terroryzmu 11 Września 14, not far from the city centre (only 11 km away). The site is very well communicated with the city centre, making for an easy commute of the facility’s employees. Moreover, the Andrespol Junction of the A1 motorway (Gdańsk-Cieszyn) is in the vicinity and the A2 motorway, connecting Warsaw, Poznań and Berlin, also runs a short distance from the warehouse.