Ikea's huge distribution warehouse for the Costa del Sol and a large part of Andalucía due to be given green light today

It is already a reality: Antequera in the north of Malaga province is becoming the great logistics centre of southern Spain, and news like this is proof of it. Today (5 June) the town hall plans to grant, in the ordinary session of its local government meeting, the building permit requested by Ikea Ibérica to build what will be its main product distribution warehouse for the Costa del Sol and for a large part of Andalucía.

The agenda published by the consistory of Antequera includes a positive response to the request made by the multinational in May 2023 for the construction of its new facilities in the Business Park (PEAN), very close to the Lumon glass enclosure factory. Like Ikea, this company is also of Nordic origin, and was established in the municipality to create and distribute its products throughout the country. In fact, this is what prompted the arrival of the Swedish giant.

The Ikea distribution centre will be built on the land the multinational acquired at the end of 2022 in this industrial estate. The budget for the work will amount to almost 16 million euros. The bureaucratic procedures have lasted around a year, and the most recent milestone was the approval of the Junta, for which a series of sectorial, road and water reports had to be obtained. This came in July last year.

In total, Ikea plans to invest around 60 million euros to shape these new facilities, from which it will move around 400,000 home delivery orders a year, which is a market where furniture also has a growing presence. The facilities will be especially prepared to serve bulky and heavy orders, according to data provided by the company when the application was made official.

The licence will now give the green light to the construction of a warehouse for the distribution of goods. This will be almost rectangular in shape, 284 metres long and almost 116 metres wide. It will have a floor area of 32,380 square metres (33,235 m2 built in total), according to data provided by town hall in response to SUR's enquiries.

The Swedish furniture and decoration multinational intends to create the large distribution centre for its shops in southern Spain in Antequera, a bid for which municipalities in neighbouring provinces, such as Cordoba, were also competing. The plot, which covers a total of 52,000 square metres, is located very close to the exit to the A-45 (to connect with Malaga and Cordoba) and A-92 (to Seville and Granada) motorways. In addition to this, the proximity of the Dry Port, the first phase of which is ready to be executed, will spark further logistics activity.

In addition to distribution to the company's stores in the south of Spain (mainly Malaga, Seville and Jerez de la Frontera), this centre will have a second function: the collection and distribution of orders placed through the online shop for its entire coverage, in Antequera and near large towns in the provinces of Cordoba and Seville.

The company intends to start construction as soon as possible, once all permits have been obtained. To this end, it has a construction model that it applies to all its centres, so the building could be operational in 2025. Although details regarding the generation of employment have not yet been disclosed, other similar centres in Spain have created more than a hundred jobs. The company currently has 18 shops in Spain (three of them in Andalucía) and more than 17,000 employees.

The construction will consist of three areas: the main space, destined for warehouse storage; another on the northwest side, where the loading docks will be located, and a third volume, on the southeast side, where the offices and exports will be located. The maximum height of the warehouse volume will be 12 metres, while it will be 8.4 metres in the dock area and the same in the office space. Inside, three spaces have also been planned, for staff and drivers' toilets and changing rooms, offices and dispatches.

In total, twenty-four 12-metre high loading bays are planned, equipped with lifting platforms and shelters, as well as a parcel area with capacity for nine vans. The facilities are completed with waste compactors. There will also be space for lorry parking, a manoeuvring area, loading and unloading.