Following a €45 million ($52.3 million) investment and a two-year planning and construction phase, German consumer goods conglomerate Henkel opened its high-bay warehouse expansion for consumer goods at its Düsseldorf headquarters. The expansion combines what were previously five separate warehouses across Germany and the Benelux region into a single unit in Düsseldorf, making this unit Henkel's largest consumer goods warehouse in Europe.
“Düsseldorf is our global headquarters and at the same time our second-largest production and logistics site worldwide,” Henkel CEO Carsten Knobel said in a press release. “We are continuously investing in the site—on average, around 100 million euros per year. The new state-of-the-art warehouse, in which we have invested 45 million euros, represents an important step toward more efficient logistics structures in our consumer business. Especially in our anniversary year, this investment is also a clear commitment to our home base in Düsseldorf.”
The facility spans 24,000 square meters and has a capacity of over 200,000 pallet spaces. According to the press release, this will strengthen Henkel’s European supply chain logistics by centralizing the distribution of its laundry, cleaning, and haircare portfolio, which includes brands such as BlondMe, got2b, and Schwarzkopf. Consolidating all consumer units into one business unit simplifies supply chains, shortens transportation distances, and improves sustainability and efficiency.
“The new high-bay warehouse is a key lever for our integration and creates the foundation for more efficient, consolidated, and more sustainable customer supply," says Wolfgang König, Member of the Management Board for Henkel Consumer Brands, in the press release. "In the future, our customers in Germany and the Benelux region will be able to order products from the entire consumer goods portfolio with a single order, one delivery, and one invoice."
The warehouse also includes a direct rail connection to Henkel’s production site in Wassertrüdingen, Bavaria, where the German company produces hair products for about half of the European market. The press release states that the rail allows for transport in a CO₂ efficient manner between the two locations.
This consolidation comes as Henkel is continuing to grow its brand portfolio. Henkel recently acquired Not Your Mother’s and announced a $1.4 billion deal to acquire Olaplex in April. Having distribution support aligned with this growth signals that the company is building a more cohesive system to maintain an increasingly diverse brand portfolio.