Decathlon will be opening a new warehouse for the Dutch market. Previously, orders in the Netherlands were delivered from Belgium, but the sports chain is changing that procedure. The warehouse will open in Tilburg.
40,000 sqm in Tilburg
The Dutch stores and the Decathlon webshop will no longer be supplied from the Belgian distribution centre in Willebroek. That facility was built a few years ago on a strategic location whence it could provide fulfilment for the entire Benelux, both for e-commerce and the chain’s own stores.
Now the chain will be opening a specific warehouse for the Netherlands after all in 2020. The new 40,000 sqm facility will be located in Tilburg (just North of the Belgian border) and employ 400 to 500 people, writes Belgian newspaper De Tijd.
“The Netherlands have been on a steady course of their own, leading to the need for logistics of their own,” explains Koen Tengrootenhuysen, director of real estate at Decathlon Belgium. The French chain has ambitions for strong growth in the Netherlands: the current number of stores is supposed to double from 14 to 30. Part of the stock for the Netherlands is currently delivered from Germany.
Nevertheless, the Willebroek warehouse won’t experience any negative consequences, promises Tengrootenhuysen: “Our activities in Willebroek remain uninfluenced, particularly when it comes to job opportunities”. The board member emphasises thet Decathlon Belgium will continue to grow autonomously: in October they announced an expansion of 16,700 sqm on top of the 47,000 sqm already in use.
