Bestseller, the owner of international menswear brand, Jack & Jones, is set to make a significant investment in automation. The Danish fashion group has partnered with automation expert, Knapp, to deliver the advanced technology required at the company’s newly proposed processing centre.
- The upcoming logistics centre is expected to be fully automated and operational by the end of 2026.
- Located in Lelystad, in the Netherlands, the logistics centre spans 155,000 square meters and will house over 1,400 AI-powered robots.
- The robots will assist with functions such as pallet loading, and can complete more than 20,000 retrievals per hour. This significantly surpasses the capacity of Bestseller’s current largest centre.
- Despite the increased automation, 600 human employees will still be required to work alongside the robots, handling more detailed tasks. More than half of these employees will work directly with the robots on a regular basis.
Allan Kyhe Kjærgaard, Logistics Director at Bestseller, commented on the endeavour, stating, “Through our partnership… we are aiming to develop one of the most highly automated logistics centres in the fashion industry and across Europe.” The aim is to optimize efficiency and streamline the product distribution process to retail customers in Bestseller’s largest markets.
Franz Mathi, Chief Operations Officer of Knapp, added that the innovative approaches pursued through this partnership aim to offer Bestseller better advantages along their supply chain. He expressed that this one-touch and low-complexity concept represents a crucial milestone in the development of logistics centres.
As a pioneer in high-tech logistics solutions, Knapp provides automation technologies that optimize efficiency and accuracy in order processing. This well-planned partnership might significantly transform Bestseller’s efficiencies, playing a key role in shaping the future of the fashion industry’s logistics model.