Lidl is building its new 83 thousand square metre logistics centre in Kiskunság

On 4 September, the foundation stone of Lidl Hungary's new logistics centre was laid outside Kiskunfélegyháza. At the event, the investor company and the contractor Market Építő Zrt. presented the development at a joint press conference.

Total area of a dozen football pitches

This is the fifth logistics centre of the Hungarian market leader retail chain to be realised in the project. The construction of the hall, which will have a total floor area of more than 83,000 square metres and nearly 12 football pitches, is expected to last until October 2026. The investment will cost HUF 50 billion.

Looking at the parent company's European network, this will be one of Lidl's largest logistics centres in terms of floor space. The warehouse complex, using state-of-the-art picking technology, is planned to serve 60-65 stores.

The warehouse will be able to store nearly 50,000 pallets, of which an average of 4,600 pallets per day, about 400,000 cartons of picked goods will be delivered to Lidl stores by trucks.

The press conference was attended by Dr. Tibor Navracsics, Minister of Public Administration and Regional Development; Zita Szlavikovics, Chairman of the Board of Lidl Hungary; Róbert Rakonczai, Managing Director of Real Estate Development and Investment of Lidl Hungary; Sándor Scheer, CEO of Market Építő Zrt.; and József Csányi, Mayor of Kiskunfélegyháza.

Sustainability was a key design consideration

In his speech, Dr. Tibor Navracsics, Minister of Public Administration and Regional Development, emphasized that Lidl has chosen a location as its logistics centre, which could be a new development point for the Southern Great Plain region. "Logistics in the field of services can be associated with the series of investments in the Szeged region, which, through ELI and BYD, will hopefully soon become one of the engines of Hungarian research and innovation and automotive production," the Minister said.

Zita Szlavikovics, chairwoman of the board of Lidl Hungary, pointed out that the company, as the ninth largest employer in Hungary, provides competitive wages to nearly 10,000 people. "This number will continue to grow, as the investment will offer new job opportunities to more than 400 people living in the kiskunság region, thus providing them with a secure livelihood and a predictable future."

Róbert Rakonczai, Lidl Hungary's Managing Director of Real Estate Development and Investment, said that sustainability was a major focus of the design.

"This will include a state-of-the-art cooling and heating system, a heat recovery ventilation system, LED lighting and water-saving taps. At the same time, 1.5 MW of solar panels, 10,000 square meters of biodiverse area, electric charging stations and a large-capacity bicycle storage are also part of the investment."

Several similar developments have already been made by Market

Sándor Scheer, CEO of Market Építő Zrt., representing the company that carried out the entire project, expressed his pleasure that Lidl Hungary chose the Hungarian company for the construction of the logistics centre in kiskunfélegyháza.

"Our previous contracts included the construction of several of their stores, as well as the Ecseri logistics centre, which will be completed at the end of 2021," he recalled.

He stressed that the current construction will provide jobs for nearly 1,500 people and will have a significant impact on the infrastructure of the area. "We are honoured by Lidl's repeated trust in us and look forward to further successful cooperation," concluded Sándor Scheer.