New Bestseller distribution centre combines design with sustainability

Danish fashion firm Bestseller is proving that distribution centres don’t necessarily have to be ugly ‘big box’ buildings. In the Dutch town of Lelystad, the company plans to construct a distribution centre (DC) that combines sustainability with design. The 155,000m² building will be made from solid wood and will be surrounded by forest and marshland.

The new DC, called Logistics Center West (LCW), was designed by architecture firm Henning Larsen. It will be built from scratch next to the Flevokust Haven multimodal inland port in the next few years. According to Bestseller – the parent company behind brands such as Jack & Jones, Vero Moda, Vila and Pieces – the DC will be the largest of its kind in Europe to be made from solid wood and will meet high standards in terms of sustainability as well as design.

A sustainable and aesthetic design

“The building has been designed as a leading example of sustainable construction, not least because of the choice for solid wood. We wanted it to reflect our desire for aesthetic design, and we are very proud of what we have achieved together with Henning Larsen,” comments Allan Kyhe Kjærgaard, Logistics Director at Bestseller.

According to the fashion firm, one aim of the design process was to create a workplace that is both healthy and visually appealing for the approximately 600 employees who will be working there. “The design of Logistics Center West represents a fundamental change in our expectations of how a distribution centre should look,” says Eva Ravnborg, National Market Director and Partner at Henning Larsen. She describes the result as not only sustainable, but also “visually stunning”.

Natural surroundings

More than half of the site, which comprises 28 hectares in total, is dedicated to nature. To protect the area’s biodiversity and help absorb CO₂, most of the surroundings will be forest and marshland. The DC will also have a rainwater harvesting system, among other things to provide protection against flooding and to enable rainwater from the roof to be reused. The building will also be fitted with 23,000m² of solar panels.

“We were tasked with bringing together lots of different ambitions in a single building, but we believe we have succeeded – not least thanks to close and effective collaboration with Henning Larsen,” says Allan Kyhe Kjærgaard. As part of its transport activities, the company will make frequent use of the container terminal at Flevokust Haven. The DC is scheduled to open in 2026.