Warsaw, Poland: Grocery retailer Auchan Retail Poland is building a fully robotic distribution centre that will use Ocado’s “smart technology”.
The centre, in Wilcza Góra near Warsaw, is the second stage in the partnership between Auchan Retail Poland and UK business Ocado, which operates in online grocery distribution, logistics automation and robotics for the e-grocery business. In March 2022, Ocado Group announced a partnership agreement with Auchan Retail Poland to develop its online business in Poland using the Ocado Smart Platform.
This new automated distribution centre aims to support customers with artificial intelligence and machine learning. Separate zones are to be created including chilled areas and freezer areas with a temperature-controlled system. A special mezzanine is to be fitted in the 18,000sq m centre for the installation of the Ocado system.
Piotr Dopierała, supply chain & logistics director at Auchan Retail Poland (Polska), said: “Our distribution centre is going to be a real game-changer for the Polish market – particularly when it comes to our innovative solutions to streamline the picking and packing of orders and to manage last-mile logistics.”
Construction work was launched in the Q3 of 2024 with the work scheduled for completion in June 2025. Operations are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of next year after the installation of Ocado’s technology.
Auchan Retail is one of the world’s largest and best-known grocery retailers, with over 160,000 employees, and operations in more than 12 countries.
