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Signa Sports United (SSU) has announced a third-party logistics (3PL) strategic partnership with Rhenus Warehousing Solutions and the opening of a new SSU warehouse facility.
The newly built 20,000 sq. metre site is located in Hockenheim, Germany with ‘excellent’ distribution channels to several European markets, said SSU. With the establishment of the site, the online sport retail and tech company said it creates cost savings and synergies across the company by integrating the strands of SSU’s continental European bike inventory, including purchasing, supply chain management and operations.
The facility has a starting capacity of five million orders within the first year it is operational, with the capability of reaching 21 million orders by 2025/2026.
Markus Knöller, head of logistics and fulfillment at SSU, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Rhenus on this first step in a 3PL strategy for our international expansion. This partnership will serve as the playbook for other regions globally as we work to be even closer to our customers.
“The site and the increased capacity will support organic growth and allow to efficiently integrate further M&A targets over the coming years.
“The site also gives us flexibility to integrate further sectors such as tennis or outdoor, creating cross-sector synergies. We see 3PL partnerships for our international expansion as key to our growth strategy.”
The site is operated by Rhenus Warehousing Solutions, a global company focused on warehousing solutions and fulfilment services and will add capacity for SSU’s bike business including Probikeshop, the France-based expert bike brand.
SSU’s current individual bike warehouses will now be supported by the new facility. This will allow SSU to scale future growth, the company said.
Read more: Signa Sports United appoints Max Heimann as CEO of Internetstores Group
Olivier Rochon, founder and managing director of ProBikeshop, said: “We continue to see strong demand in Southern Europe and this new site enables us to take our business to the next level.
“As avid and passionate riders ourselves, we want to provide the best possible service to our customers. Having this additional capacity helps us to provide our expertise to even more riders.”
SSU owns companies and brands in various sports including bike, tennis, outdoor and team sports. Its companies and brands include Wiggle, Chain Reaction Cycles, Fahrrad.de, Bikester, Probikeshop, Campz, Addnature, Tennis-Point, TennisPro, and Outfitter.
