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n 1980 Caprabo moved its headquarters to a new building on Ciències street in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, in an emerging but still underdeveloped area. These facilities, which over the years were expanded four times, were at that time surrounded by empty lots and cultivated fields, a landscape that has nothing to do with the current one, where there is no longer an inch left to build after the configuration of a powerful economic hub around Plaça Europa.
The Ciències property, which has been the home of the Catalan supermarket chain for 40 years, will be out of use starting this week, as the 350 employees of the central services will work starting Monday, September 28, in the new offices that the company has built in the ZAL of the Port of Barcelona, in the municipality of El Prat de Llobregat. Caprabo already opened its new logistics center in the ZAL in July, but now it has carried out the transfer of corporate services, which have been located in modern 3,400 square meter U-shaped offices adapted to the new sanitary measures to face Covid-19.
With the transfer of the corporate area, no activity is carried out in Ciències, since fresh product logistics were moved to the ZAL in the summer and non-perishable product logistics have been concentrated in the logistics platform that the chain has in Abrera. When it opened in 1980, it served only 20 stores, a very different reality from the current one, with a network of more than 300 supermarkets, although Caprabo came to have more than 500 points of sale.
The old warehouse in L'Hospitalet, however, awaits a new future. The property is owned by Caboel, the real estate company of the Botet, Elías and Carbó families, former owners of the chain. They are aware that it is located in a strategic area for any logistics activity, so they are preparing an important rehabilitation project, although the initiative is still in the definition phase and may be delayed as a consequence of the pandemic.
For Caprabo, the move to ZAL Port represents a strong boost to an integral transformation plan that aims to improve chain efficiency, increase its profitability, and deploy a new store model that better adapts to current consumer needs. Eroski, the Basque distribution group that has owned the company since 2007, began a few months ago the process of seeking a financial partner to underpin this transformation plan for Caprabo, which may imply the entry of a new partner into the chain.
The relocation of the headquarters to the ZAL represents a historic milestone for Caprabo at a time of significant transformationFor Asier Bustinza, logistics director of Caprabo, the relocation of the headquarters to the ZAL "represents a historic milestone" that comes at a time of "significant transformation" for the Catalan chain, which celebrated its 60th anniversary last year. The move to the port area will increase competitiveness and reduce the costs of logistics operations, as the complex brings together all fresh product management in a single location, a strategic area for all distribution chains. The launch of the ZAL warehouse will culminate throughout October, when the Capraboacasa online supermarket will also begin operating in the new facilities, which will have state-of-the-art technology that will allow it to improve its service and offer new options to its customers. The warehouse has a total area of 24,000 square meters.
With a network of more than 300 supermarkets, Caprabo employs some 6,000 people and its loyalty club has more than a million customers. In parallel with the progressive implementation of a new store model, the company is immersed in a growth plan through franchises. The company invoiced 790 million euros in 2019, 13% less after having concentrated its business in Catalonia and Andorra, with a total of 29 fewer stores (10% of the network).
Investment of 20 million euros
The logistics platform and Caprabo's new corporate headquarters in the ZAL Port is owned by Cilsa, a company that has invested 20 million euros to build the complex to the chain's needs. Cilsa is 51.5% owned by the Barcelona Port Authority (APB) and the listed company Merlin Properties (48.5%), led by Ismael Clemente and participated by Manuel Lao, former owner of Cirsa.
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The ZAL building will display the Leed Gold certificate, which is awarded to buildings that have prioritized environmental sustainability in construction. The efficiency and energy saving measures introduced and the waste utilization system stand out. Specifically, Caprabo expects to save 50% on water consumption and generate electricity equivalent to 5% of the warehouse's annual consumption thanks to the installation of 60 KW solar panels. A system for utilizing residual heat from cold rooms and equipment to recycle 90% of waste has also been installed.
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