METRO LOGISTICS manages fresh produce logistics for Alnatura
13 February 2024
METRO LOGISTICS is taking over the management of fresh produce logistics for the leading organic retailer Alnatura throughout Germany. This includes the logistics handling of its own store network as well as that of the food retailers supplied by Alnatura for the fruit & vegetable and dairy product ranges as well as for parts of the dry goods range. Around 20 million packaging units are to be stored, picked and handled at the METRO LOGISTICS sites in Kirchheim, Altlandsberg and Bergkirchen - an extensive collaboration between the two companies.
The METRO LOGISTICS sites in Altlandsberg and Kirchheim will be used as supra-regional distribution centres for around 150 ALNATURA stores and food retailers with goods from the fresh produce, fruit & vegetables and dry goods ranges. In future, the Bergkirchen site will be the cross-dock platform for the Bavarian region. The operational launch of the long-term cooperation is planned for April 2024.
The background to the cooperation is a change in Alnatura's purchasing strategy. The collaboration with METRO LOGISTICS was preceded by an intensive concept phase to develop a logistics solution tailored to Alnatura's needs. Alnatura Managing Director Rüdiger Kasch comments: "Our aim is to manage purchasing ourselves in future and to work directly with all the producers who supply us. We will therefore take over responsibility for the supply of fresh produce including fruit and vegetables for our more than 150 Alnatura Super Natur stores as well as for our partner stores nationwide, and we will also supply our retail partners with fresh produce from the METRO LOGISTICS locations. With METRO LOGISTICS, we have a logistics partner at our side that meets our high standards for fresh produce logistics and the handling of certified organic goods." The cooperation with the existing organic wholesalers will continue, mainly in the areas of beverages in refillable packaging and regional product ranges.
"Food logistics is in our DNA and we are delighted that we were able to convince Alnatura of our many years of expertise in temperature-controlled logistics. Our strong quality management, which guarantees consistently high-quality standards in all processes, was certainly a decisive factor. To this end, we have specially trained personnel who will carry out the quality assurance of the organic goods," says Arnd Stoehr, Managing Director of METRO LOGISTICS.
METRO LOGISTICS offers six different temperature zones for the storage and handling of groceries from different product groups in the two national distribution centres and the regional logistics base in Bergkirchen. These each have different handling requirements and are certified in accordance with all relevant food certificates, such as IFS Logistics or organic.
Alnatura's new fresh food logistics approach should not only lead to centralised product range management, but also to a sustainable ability to act and increased efficiency along the entire supply chain.
