After nearly two years of construction, SPAR Austria opened the expanded logistics centre at its Graz headquarters on 7 September 2024. This marks the fifth expansion phase at the site.

The need to meet growing product demand and ensure the continued supply of 1.4 million people in Styria and Southern Burgenland drove this increase.

“With this expansion, we are strengthening our logistical capabilities and reaffirming our commitment as a reliable local supplier. We remain focused on being the leading food retailer, providing our customers with the best service,” said SPAR Austria CEO Hans K. Reisch.

SPAR Austria increased the logistics area by 40%, adding 12,000 new pallet spaces, of which half are located in an automated high-bay pallet warehouse. SPAR partnered with logistics expert KNAPP for the expansion. The new high-bay system, built 10m deep and 17m high, optimises storage on the existing floor space.

SPAR Austria installed a new photovoltaic system on the roof that produces six times more electricity than the previous one, increasing the output from 114 kilowatts peak to 700 kilowatts peak.

The logistics centre in figures

The SPAR warehouse in Graz is one of six regional centres in Austria, supplying 273 SPAR, EUROSPAR, and INTERSPAR branded stores, as well as SPAR Express forecourt stores in Styria and Southern Burgenland.

SPAR Austria employs over 7,900 people in this region. 900 of them are working at the Graz site, including 500 in the warehouse and logistics area.

The warehouse spans almost 40,000m², receiving daily deliveries from over 570 suppliers, amounting to around 3,700 pallets of goods. It distributes over 5,350 different products, including perishable foods, fruit, vegetables, and dairy products. Additionally, 18,000 products are stored at the central warehouse in Wels and are distributed to stores via cross-docking through the Graz warehouse. With the recent expansion, the Graz warehouse now has 94 delivery gates, including 31 new ones. Picking is done manually using roller containers, while part of the storage is automated with KNAPP’s automated high-bay pallet system.

Automated high-bay pallet system

The automated high-bay pallet warehouse covers an area of 2,500m² and reaches a height of 27m. This system can automatically store 180 pallets per hour. On the floor level, 320 new picking stations were created. With ten storage levels and an additional picking level, the warehouse now has significantly more storage capacity than its floor space suggests. Other areas of the warehouse feature up to six storage levels and one picking level.

Vehicle fleet

The SPAR fleet in Graz consists of 56 trucks and trailers, responsible for delivering fresh food to stores. Since last autumn, the fleet has been powered by bio-based HVO fuel, made from used cooking oil and fats. This reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% compared to fossil diesel.

Source: SPAR Austria

Read more about SPAR Austria

About SPAR Austria

The origins of SPAR in Austria date back to 1954, but the current SPAR AG was created in 1970 when the original founding families joined other regional wholesalers to form SPAR Austria AG – a 100% privately owned Austrian company. With licences granted by SPAR International, ASPIAG (Austria SPAR International AG) has developed the brand in Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, and Northern Italy.