Lidl Opens Second Logistics Center in Serbia

The company Lidl Srbija has officially opened its second logistics center in the country, which will take over the supply of part of the stores and secure the conditions for a further expansion of the Lidl retail network. The new state-of-the-art logistics center in Lapovo spreads on 57,000 m2, with a storage capacity of 35,000 goods pallets in an ambient regime and as many as five temperature regimes, preserving the freshness and quality of the products.

The ceremony of the opening of the logistics center was attended by the prime minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabic, the minister of trade, tourism and telecommunications, Tatjana Matic, the director general of Lidl Srbija, Dragan Cigoja, the first secretary of the German embassy for economy in Serbia, Dennis Kaiser, the vice-president of the Municipality of Lapovo, Boban Milicic, and numerous guests.

– With the investment of EUR 70 million in the logistics center in Lapovo, we have secured a significant backbone of our operations. In addition to having an even more efficient supply of Lidl stores, it is just as important that, with this investment, we have created 250 new jobs in this part of Serbia and that our team now consists of over 3,000 colleagues – stated the director general of Lidl Srbija, Dragan Cigoja.

The logistics center in Lapovo was built in line with the highest sustainability standards and will have characteristics of a “green” facility during its operations – a reduced use of energy and water and a lower generation of waste. Energy savings of this logistics center relative to comparable facilities amount to as much as 45%, whereas water consumption, thanks to the use of a special kind of faucets and the use of rainwater, is 80% lower. In addition to getting power supply from renewable sources through the ZelEPS system, this logistics center has its own source of energy – 10,000 m2 of solar panels which generate a part of the required electricity has been installed on the roof.

Lidl is a significant investor in Serbia which chooses local companies as partners, so for the purposes of the construction of its logistics center, it hired local design, supervision and construction companies. A total of 70 local subcontractors were involved in the project, whose execution lasted a record-setting period of one year.

The prime minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabic, pointed out that there was no better way to start the work week than by creating new jobs and investing, this time in Lapovo.

– Germany is the largest investor by the number of projects in Serbia, and Lidl Srbija additionally invests in our country since 2018 and, despite all the challenges that followed, it has decided to further expand its operations and further invest in the Serbian economy. Not just that, their logistics center in Lapovo is even bigger and more valuable than the one in Pazova. That says enough about Lidl’s trust, but also the trust of other German investors in Serbia, which further opens the door to new investments in our country – stated Brnabic.

(Taking a tour of the logistics center)

– The Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia communicates regularly with all store chains that operate in Serbia, so that the operations would be regular and so that the consumers would be provided with a satisfactory offer. This is especially important in the time of the growing inflation that nearly the whole world is facing, especially Europe. The projections of how long the price pressures will last are uncertain and that is why, together with the Government of the Republic of Serbia, we are following the situation closely and taking all the available measures which are within our domain of competence, to protect the living standard of the citizens and maintain the supply of the market. In that sense, we also expect Lidl to keep providing a good supply of the market, at affordable prices, while including local producers, in line with its business policy. I believe that the second logistics Lidl center will contribute to efficient operations of this company in Serbia and an even better supply, suited to the citizens of Serbia – stated the minister of trade, tourism and telecommunications, Tatjana Matic.

As part of the preparatory works, nearly two kilometers of access roads with the most modern infrastructure and a new extraction pump were built, and the Liparski Potok water stream was also developed.

The president of the Municipality of Lapovo, Boban Milicic, expressed his gratitude to Lidl Srbija and said that it was by far the biggest investment in that municipality and certainly one of the most important ones in Serbia.

– We are proud of the fact that 70 local companies took part in the construction of the logistics center. It made it easier for us to issue all the permits on time and therefore have the project completed within the set deadline. We were also lucky due to our good geographic position, and the work and effort we invested proved that our dream was not a result of mere luck, but also work and dedication – Milicic stated.

In the modern ambience of the Lidl logistics center, the commissioning of goods is done with the help of an advanced automated system with a 99% accuracy. The forklifts are equipped with cameras which ensure work safety, and modern commissioning vehicles facilitate load management. With competitive work conditions and every minute of work being paid, Lidl Srbija guarantees, under contract, annual salary increases up to four completed years in the given position to employees in operating positions in Sales and Logistics when getting employed.

From September, when the logistics center is to start operating, the Lidl retail network, which spreads across 35 towns of Serbia and has 61 stores at the moment, will be supplied with goods from two centers, Lapovo and Nova Pazova.

Lidl Srbija KD Nova Pazova

Ministarstvo turizma i omladine Republike Srbije

Vlada Republike Srbije

Ambasada SR Nemačke Beograd

Opština Lapovo

Lidl Srbija

Lidl

Ana Brnabić

Tatjana Matić

Dragan Čigoja

Dennis Kaiser

Boban Miličić

Nova Pazova

Liparski potok

logistics center