02 Oct 2023
With Vodosvet, they started the construction of the BILLA Bulgaria logistics center in the village of Zagore, Stara Zagora municipality. The warehouse will serve the regions of Central and Southern Bulgaria. The plot covers an area of 55 acres. The area of the storage premises is 16.5 thousand square meters and is divided into sectors with dry and refrigerated storage, as well as an administrative part. The site will be certified to the international BREEAM green building standard, which ensures that the warehouse is designed and operated with a minimal environmental footprint and to the highest standards of sustainability.
"We have serious plans for development and this is clear from the opening of more than 10 of our sites every year. The construction of a second warehouse for us is a natural extension of our long-standing efforts to develop the company. Our main goal is to achieve greater flexibility and efficiency in servicing our over 150 stores in the country. The investment is close to BGN 50 million and I believe that this is important not only for us as a company, but also for the economic development of the region. We hope that all activities on the construction of the base will be completed by the beginning of 2025. We will create more than 200 new jobs and offer good conditions and social benefits to our employees," said Mr. Vigintas Shapokas, executive director of BILLA Bulgaria, during the event. He emphasized that the company received exceptional assistance from the Municipality of Stara Zagora in realizing its investment. The ceremony was also attended by Walter Wolf - chief operating officer of BILLA Bulgaria and Vladi Rashev - head of the company's technical department.
"On behalf of Mayor Zhivko Todorov, I thank you for choosing the municipality of Stara Zagora for the construction of the second logistics base in Bulgaria and the first of its kind. This is another good assessment of the business that there is a prospect for development in our region. In recent years, the strategy the Municipality has been working on has produced results and more and more investments are being attracted, as well as the administrative burden of the procedures has been reduced, which further supports companies," said Radostin Tanev, Acting Mayor of Stara Zagora. He added that the Municipality team welcomes the ambition of "Billa" to create its base in harmony with the environment. The event was attended today by the deputy mayors of Stara Zagora Nadezhda Chakarova and Krasimira Chakhova, the head of the Zoo in the city Dr. Ivelina Ilieva.
During the symbolic start of construction activities of the logistics base, it became clear that a number of eco-friendly solutions will be integrated, as part of the company's strategic goals to reduce greenhouse emissions by 30% by 2030 and to be completely carbon neutral by 2040 The facility will have a photovoltaic system that will produce 90% of the electricity consumed. Innovative refrigeration technology will also be implemented, allowing the residual temperature from the refrigeration units to be used for space heating during the winter months. The project includes the latest generation of tracking and control systems for all used resources, including water. In order to optimize them, a special technology will be implemented to collect rainwater and use it to irrigate the spacious green areas around the base.
