NL | Marit van Egmond, CEO Albert Heijn, said that as a leading e-commerce player in the supermarket world, Albert Heijn focuses on innovation, growth and sustainability.

“We continuously look for the latest technologies to work smarter and more efficiently. I am proud of our new step in our HSC in Barendrecht,” said van Egmond.

“With this, we tap into a new opportunity to continue growing with e-commerce, taking into account the tightness in the labour market.”

Albert Heijn uses a mechanisation system with robots and bins to automatically fill the shopping crates to collect non-perishable products quickly. From next week, around 300 robots with a total of 45,000 bins will drive rapidly through the new HSC to collect the ordered groceries for customers. This makes the work easier for employees. In the new HSC, people and technology work hand in hand; employees complete orders by adding fresh products. Albert Heijn works together with Swisslog for the mechanisation.

The new HSC is not only innovative but also sustainable. The completely gas-free building receives the BREEAM Very Good certificate due to various sustainable energy solutions such as more than 5,400 solar panels, an energy-efficient cold room, energy-efficient LED lighting and a heat pump for the office’s climate installation. And with 63 charging points, the HSC is ready to transition to electric driving.

The HSC in Barendrecht will take care of orders for customers in this new way next week. In the meantime, construction of the next mechanised HSC has already started. The opening is planned for mid-2024 in Zwolle.