This Friday, Merlin Properties and Worten officially launched the construction of the new Worten Orders Park, the new 115.It will be the largest facility of its kind in our country and marks a new phase of investment by the Spanish company in the Lisbon North Logistics Platform in Castanheira do Ribatejo.
In a "built-to-suit" model, the value of which has not yet been revealed, the project will be developed by Merlin Properties to meet the needs of the Portuguese retailer, with Worten guaranteeing its occupation through a long-term lease.
Under the signature “your wish é an order. Everything starts from here”, the new space is scheduled to open in 2028 and promises to become a benchmark in the national logistics market, both in operational terms and in terms of innovation and sustainability.
“Portugal has been a key market for Merlin since we arrived in 2015. And, ten years on, we're delighted to be here laying the foundation stone for what will be the country's largest logistics infrastructure," said Merlin Properties' CEO, Ismael Clemente.
This, it should be remembered, is the second platform developed by Merlin in that location, which right next door already has another 100,000 m2 building in operation. Since its first steps, and now even more so with this new project, the Lisbon North Logistics Platform has not only enabled us to position ourselves as the largest supplier of this type of space, but also as a benchmark in the logistics sector;and a benchmark for logistics in Portugal, as well as representing a real turning point in the country's logistics market, which at the time was very fragmented, said Ismael Clemente.
The first phase of this Platform was inaugurated four years ago, in a different context. Now, the logistics sector is facing not only new challenges but also the opportunity to consolidate in a more efficient, sustainable market with a more personalized offer aligned with the needs of operators, he says, adding that the warehouse through an efficient logistics network.
A forward-thinking project
According to Worten's CEO, Mário Pereira, Worten Orders Park “é a project focused on quality, designed for the future and the long term, in a context of more projected sales and even faster deliveries. We have more than 200 stores today and we need a value proposition with our growth in mind, and that's why we're doing a project that will be innovative not only in technological and distribution terms, allowing us to expand sales and ensure faster deliveries, within two hours. But it is also designed for the well-being, comfort and safety of our teams”, and always “with great environmental concerns”.
The strong growth we have experienced over the last decade has meant that we have had to improvise logistical solutions to respond more immediately. As a result, at the moment, our logistics occupation is all decentralized in six warehouses and this generates logistical inefficiencies, and it's very difficult to try to minimize the impact of this on our distribution and store network. From here on in, with this infrastructure, everything will be centralized and we will have a platform that is better suited to our needs, including in terms of providing services to our Marketplace partners. In addition, we'll be able to have more stock available and this will be very important for leveraging our internationalization," added Marcelo Martins, Worten's Director of Logistics Operations.
Without revealing any details, he said that "we are idealizing a structure that is completely disruptive of what a logistics warehouse is, as we know it today", because "we are also investing heavily to ensure the well-being of people, who are our main asset".
Authority wants to put Castanheira on the international map
Congratulating this major new investment in the economic fabric of the municipality, the Mayor of Vila Franca de Xira, Fernando Paulo, highlighted the importance of logistics for the development of cities, recalling that "last-mile has become essential to the lives of people and companies".
“Castanheira do Ribatejo é today a logistics location of reference for the national and Iberian economy”
“Castanheira do Ribatejo é today a logistics location of reference for the national and Iberian economy”and is undoubtedly the logistics heart of our country, says Fernando Paulo. In the last two to three years, the biggest investments in this sector in Portugal have been made here. And this is justified because although this location was initially thought of from an exclusively logistical perspective, today we also have major investments underway in other complementary uses, be it in the technological area, with one of the largest data centers in Portugal;area, with one of the largest data centers planned for Portugal, and in the transport area, with work underway on the new river pier for transporting goods, which will allow intermodality that exists nowhere else in the Lisbon metropolitan area, he points out.
But the municipality is committed to continuing to develop Castanheira do Ribatejo as a logistical destination of reference beyond its borders and, to this end, is in talks with the government with a view to developing a railway branch line for the transportation of goods;The mayor believes that this is absolutely fundamental, not only for the two dozen companies that are already based here, but for the whole country, as it will certainly allow exports to increase.
Photos: Merlin Properties / Worten
