Galaxus expands logistics network in Switzerland and Europe

The leading Swiss online retailer, Galaxus, is bursting at the seams. Expansion options at the existing Wohlen/Dintikon logistics hub have been exhausted and building sites in strategically favourable locations are rare in Switzerland. In addition to the planned Swiss locations in Utzenstorf and Rafz, there’s a proposal to build a further operations centre in the southern German town of Neuenburg am Rhein to support the expansion in Switzerland and Europe.

«For some time now, we’ve been working intensively on developing new logistics locations so that we can continue to supply our customers quickly and reliably in the future. Two of them are located in Switzerland and one is in southern Germany,» explains Florian Teuteberg, CEO of Digitec Galaxus. «The approval procedures for the Swiss projects still need some time. To avoid capacity bottlenecks in the midterm, we looked for short-term alternatives outside Switzerland and found what we were looking for in southern Germany. The Neuenburg am Rhein site also enables us to boost our growth in our European target markets in the long term.»

The facts:

• The warehouse area of the planned south German operations centre is approx. 90,000 m2.
• The output capacity is roughly equal to that of the current Wohlen storage site.
• Commissioning will take place in stages between 2025 and 2028.

• We’re working tirelessly on building permits for the sites in Utzenstorf and Rafz is continuing.

Swiss locations in high demand

The third location in Neuenburg am Rhein won’t be in competition with the two planned operations centres in Utzenstorf and Rafz. The Swiss locations will play an important role in our future logistics network, and are indispensable for managing growth until 2030 and beyond. In keeping with this, Galaxus is continuing to put all its energy into the approval procedures for the local construction projects. «With the warehouse in southern Germany, we’ve found a way to build up the missing logistics capacities for our expansion in Switzerland and Europe in the midterm and to pursue the Swiss construction projects in a focused manner», says Florian Teuteberg.

No additional transportation routes

Many of the products that Galaxus sells come from Europe or arrive in Europe via the major freight ports. A large proportion of them are delivered directly via Germany. The new location won’t lengthen the transportation route taken by products from the manufacturer to the customer in Switzerland. The only difference is that the goods are temporarily stored in southern Germany instead of Wohlen.

Delivery from Neuenburg am Rhein to Zurich, Bern or Geneva will take a little longer. Nevertheless, customers can still order until late in the afternoon as usual for next-day delivery. Flash delivery will also be possible from the operations centre in southern Germany.