Compared to other retailers, Pick n Pay has been slow to centralise distribution. In its annual result presentation last month, Pick n Pay said centralised distribution had been one of its major challenges throughout last year.

The first centre opened in Longmeadow, Gauteng, in 2010. Total investment in the four centres to date amounts to R2 billion.

The new centre will employ 324 staff and would be environmentally friendly:

Through distribution centres the retailer is able to reduce its carbon footprint, owing to the use of fewer trucks used in supply chain to get products to stores.

In addition, twelve green initiatives had been implemented in the grocery division, focusing on energy management, water management, refrigeration, and the physical materials used for building.