Process first, warehouse second: how WDP built a distribution centre around METRO’s flow in Romania

25/01/2024 - 1 min read

METRO, a global wholesale leader serving HoReCa and independent retail businesses in food and non-food products, supplies as many as 30 stores across Romania from WDP Park Bucharest – Stefanesti. Rather than fitting operations into an existing building, WDP and METRO started from the distribution and operational flow itself, and only then designed the warehouse around it.

In short: at WDP Park Bucharest – Stefanesti, METRO operates a build-to-suit warehouse designed around its own distribution flow first, and built to match it second, supplying 30 stores nationwide.

Designing the building around the process, not the other way round

“We chose WDP for their technical expertise, their professionalism and their client-oriented approach,” explains Alexandru Scarlat, supply chain development manager at METRO. That approach meant mapping how goods actually move through the site before a single wall went up.

Requirements shaped by real operational needs

The project came with specific technical requirements:

an adapted heating system, including floor heating
solar panels on the roof
dedicated space for a meat processing plant within the site

A location built for access and workforce

Beyond WDP’s approach, the site itself adds strategic value. “We are close to highways around Bucharest,” Alexandru adds, “and there is a lot of workforce availability in this area.”

For METRO, the Stefanesti warehouse shows what happens when a logistics real estate partner designs around operations first: a facility that fits the business from day one, rather than one the business has to work around.