Decathlon opens its logistics center for Southern Europe in the ZAL

At the beginning of 2019, the decision of the French multinational Decathlon to locate its reference logistics center for Southern Europe in Barcelona became known. The company opted for the Catalan capital due to the possibility of building the warehouse in a strategic enclave: one of the few plots that remained free in the so-called ZAL Port-Ciutat, managed by the company Cilsa, participated by the Port of Barcelona (51.5%) and the listed company Merlin Properties (48.5%). It is a unique location, as it is situated next to the port ---one of the main entry points for the goods marketed by Decathlon--- and only ten minutes from the airport.

With an area of 167.51 square meters, on the ZAL plot, Cilsa has built a turnkey logistics warehouse of 95,987 square meters, dimensions that make it one of the largest in Spain and a "unique building in Catalonia," according to Cilsa's general director, Alfonso Martínez. This public-private company has made an investment of 53.4 million euros to build the complex in 14 months, which Decathlon has just opened with a long-term rental contract.

The mega-warehouse is made up of two buildings of 46,610 square meters each, plus a building for services and offices. In total, the logistics block has 112 loading docks and is equipped with the highest environmental certifications, having achieved the Leed Platinum seal. To enhance its sustainability, the complex has photovoltaic panels for self-consumption and an LED lighting system that also minimizes the electricity bill.

At Decathlon's new continental logistics center in Barcelona, 325 people are already working, 51 of whom have recently joined the company. According to Marc Mata, warehouse director, 20 more logistics profiles will be hired in the coming months. According to the French sports store chain, the ZAL platform "is one of the first steps in the important logistics transformation process that Decathlon has undertaken" and which it expects to finalize in 2024. "This project will allow us to be prepared for the new challenges and needs of the future," explained Daniel Mangas, director of Decathlon Spain's logistics transformation area.

Currently, the Spanish subsidiary of the chain employs 11,000 people and operates a network of more than 170 stores, supplied by five regional warehouses. In total, Decathlon is present in 850 cities in 60 countries, with 1,650 establishments and 97,000 workers.

According to Cilsa, with the delivery of this warehouse to Decathlon, the development of the ZAL Port is practically finished, as there is no more surface area available. A warehouse is now being built for the shipping company Maersk of 8,168 square meters. "In the last five years we have invested more than 200 million in the construction of 300,000 square meters of warehouses certified with Leed Gold," says Alfonso Martínez. Cilsa manages a total of 239 hectares in the so-called Logistics Activities Zone (ZAL), straddling the municipalities of Barcelona and El Prat. The gross leasable area of the warehouses located in this enclave and directly managed by Cilsa exceeds 700,000 square meters, although in total the logistics area of the park reaches 920,000 square meters. The Port of Barcelona is preparing a new expansion of 100,000 square meters to increase the surface area it makes available to the logistics sector. It will incorporate into its domain the land that until now was occupied in the heart of the ZAL-Prat territory by the factory of the French group Total Petrochemicals.