Inter IKEA announced its decision to invest in Greece. More specifically, investments will involve a state-of-the-art global product distribution center covering 50,000 square meters at Aspropyrgos that will be supplied through the port of Piraeus, southeast of the industrial area. It will serve the East Mediterranean markets, covering at an initial stage the needs of IKEA stores in Greece, Bulgaria, Jordan, Israel, and Cyprus before gradually expanding elsewhere, such as Egypt.
The investment is worth 70 million euros and will open 100 permanent positions, including highly specialized positions in data processing, data analysis, logistics, and artificial intelligence. Construction will begin this year and the center will become operable in mid-2025. The unit will have a zero carbon footprint, as it will rely on photovoltaics (solar energy).
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met on Tuesday with Fourlis Group president Vasilis Fourlis and Inter IKEA Group Category Distribution Manager Andrea Colzani and announced the joint investment in a new global distribution center led by IKEA.
Commenting on the investment, Mitsotakis spoke of an exciting new investment and underlined that “Greece has the opportunity to develop into a regional logistics hub. These types of investments support our main argument, they take advantage of our unique geographic location and the infrastructure, both private and public. And of course, we are talking about the port of Piraeus, about the strategic importance of Aspropyrgos, the wider area, given its proximity to the port, and rail connectivity, which for us will be even more important in the future.”
Moreover, the Prime Minister focused on the fact that “better logistics mean better prices. The better the supply chain works, the better pricing for the consumer. In an era of increased cost of living worldwide, this is an important aspect.”
In addition, he pointed out the highly skilled jobs that are being created around logistics, stressing that “we already have a younger generation of Greeks who decide to choose this sector for a career, combined with cutting-edge technological solutions, this is certainly a very good career choice.”
