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9 Jul 2021 - #Warehouses
ALL NEWSHeylen Warehouses and the Lidl Group are joining forces to build the supermarket chain’s most sustainable distribution centre in Belgium. The new logistics facility will be located on the former Henrad site in Herentals, which has been owned by Molenwater Groep and Heylen Group since 2016. It will be the discounter’s sixth Belgian distribution centre and will create around 230 new jobs in the region. This is the first time the two parties have worked together.
By investing in a sixth distribution centre, Lidl aims to continue its expansion plans as a smart discounter in Belgium and to anticipate the market of tomorrow. The logistics hub in Herentals will be built to BREEAM* Outstanding standards, placing it among the most sustainable distribution centres in the country.
Employment
The arrival of the new distribution centre also means a significant boost to employment in the region. The centre will create around 230 new jobs, some 200 of them in logistics roles and around 30 in support services such as HR, sales and IT. This gives residents of Herentals and the surrounding municipalities the opportunity to work close to home.
Mayor Mien Van Olmen: “The city council welcomes this planned sustainable investment in our community. We are convinced that it will add real value to our city. It is also important for local employment. Herentals still has a higher unemployment rate of 8 per cent, compared with an average of 6 per cent in Flanders. This investment can help bring unemployment in our region down.”
Sustainability
The new distribution centre will be built to the highest BREEAM rating, Outstanding, with the aim of ensuring minimal environmental impact. This will be achieved through energy-efficient installations, minimal water consumption, thorough waste management and minimising noise, light pollution and the ecological impact on the surrounding area.
Natural daylight, tailored lighting, ventilation, pleasant climate control and good acoustics create a healthy and productive working environment with maximum comfort.
In doing so, Heylen Warehouses is constructing a sustainable building that is ready for a second and third generation.
Alderman Pascal Van Nueten: “The Henrad site is right next to the E313 and can therefore become an important hub for transport and distribution. Everyone in Herentals knows the location and its historical importance for our city. Now we can give this place a prominent role in our urban fabric once again.”
Boudewijn van den Brand, CEO of Lidl Belgium and Luxembourg: “Lidl continues to grow in Belgium. Year after year, we open new stores and recruit new people. This 6th distribution centre is therefore essential to keep supplying our stores with fresh products every day. Together with the city of Herentals, we are building on our sustainable future. This 6th distribution centre will be built to BREEAM* Outstanding requirements. All refrigeration installations will run on natural refrigerants which, unlike most existing refrigerant gases, cause no emissions. What’s more, the logistics hall and the offices will be heated entirely by recovering heat from those refrigeration installations. On the roof, we are installing some 15,000 m2 of solar panels, which will also power the extensive charging infrastructure for electric cars and bicycles.”
Birdhouses, insect hotels and wildflower meadows will help the site blend naturally into its surroundings. Central to this is the shared sustainability ambition and the vision of reducing the ecological footprint.
About HEYLEN WAREHOUSES
Heylen Warehouses develops and invests in high-quality logistics real estate projects. The entire process, from the start of a development to letting it, is handled fully in-house by a multidisciplinary and experienced team.
The driving force behind Heylen Warehouses is to find out, every time, what added value we can offer our customers and how we can support them with the knowledge and experience we have built up in custom-developed buildings. This is also reflected in our DNA: Heylen Warehouses strengthens itself and its customers with the right expertise and personal guidance on the optimal housing of their logistics operations.
www.heylenwarehouses.com
About Lidl
Lidl Belgium is a supermarket chain with 318 stores in Belgium and Luxembourg. Its more than 10,000 employees are committed every day to offering fresh fruit and vegetables and strong own brands at the highest quality and the lowest price. The Belgian company translates simplicity and customer focus into budget-friendly shopping, without compromising on quality. Lidl also puts sustainability first and, under the motto ‘On the way to tomorrow’, works towards a better future for people and the environment. www.lidl.be
About Molenwater Groep
Molenwater Groep is a Belgian investment holding company owned by the family of Eddy Hendrickx, with industrial roots.
Its focus is on sustainable real estate investments and holdings in various sectors, such as green energy.
Over the years, the group has built up a high-quality property portfolio, mainly in residential real estate. The current project fits perfectly with its further diversification into industrial real estate.
Molenwater Groep develops for its own account and for end investors through partnerships with smart partners such as Heylen Warehouses.
It is no coincidence that the group wants to restore the Henrad site to its former prosperity, as Eddy Hendrickx was historically the owner of both the site and Henrad.
* BREEAM is an assessment method developed by the Building Research Establishment, a building research organisation, to describe the environmental performance of a building.