construction, logistics : IKEA lays the first foundation stone for its future distribution centre in Limay

Following initial works, IKEA France is launching the construction of its new distribution centre based on the Limay - Porcheville multimodal platform (to the west of Paris), scheduled to open at the end of 2026. Designed to respond to the growth in e-commerce and optimise urban logistics, this 60,000 sq.m site will continue to use river transport to limit its environmental impact.

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©HAROPA PORT

A logistics hub at the heart of the Group's strategy

With an investment of €120 million, this centre will support the growth of e-commerce, which now accounts for 27% of the Swedish retailer's sales. At full capacity, it will handle 380,000 sq.m of goods a year and deliver to 700,000 customers in the Paris region and western France thanks to two daily river rotations 360 days a year. When it opens, 350 jobs will be created, with priority given to local recruitment.

In addition to the Gennevilliers warehouse, which will open in 2022, the new site will use river transport for customer deliveries, guaranteeing reliable lead times while reducing the carbon footprint thanks to a combination of boats and electric vehicles.

An exemplary worksite 

From the outset of the project, IKEA France has relied on the Seine and the Oise to dispose of its site waste. In partnership with HAROPA PORT and the Medinger company, 30,000 tonnes of materials were transported by river to processing sites located on the Bruyères-sur-Oise port platform, thus avoiding 1,500 trucks journeys and reducing noise pollution and CO₂ emissions. 

The project also includes ambitious environmental measures: BREEAM ‘Very Good’ certification, which  provides for 33,000 mq.s of vegetated floors and the planting of 187 trees.

A central role for the river and the port

Since December 2022, HAROPA PORT has been supporting IKEA France in its ecological transition. By combining river transport and electric vehicles, the company has delivered to more than 100,000 customers in Paris, while avoiding the equivalent of 15,000 truck journeys out of Paris. The orders, prepared at the Gennevilliers distribution centre, are transported by boat to the port of Bercy before being delivered to customers. 

To welcome IKEA to Limay, the port took charge of the site preparation works:

  •  creating access to the site,
  •  demolition of the old existing buildings, 
  •  construction of a river quay dedicated to future container loading and unloading.

This new logistics warehouse confirms the advantages of the port, and in particular its network of ports in the Paris region, offering IKEA more flexible and sustainable logistics adapted to the challenges of urban distribution.