Skechers prepares to open European distribution centre

US footwear specialist Skechers has said construction of its new European distribution centre is set to finalise in August, making way for the company’s next chapter of growth in the region.

Located near Liège Airport in Belgium, in close proximity to its existing site in Milmort, the 230,000 square metre centre intends to place Skechers at the “forefront of innovative distribution to the continent”, chief operating officer David Weinberg said.

The site has been developed as an “automated and sustainable” location, holding a BREEAM Excellence certification that reflects “high standards of energy performance”. It has further been developed alongside Weerts Group and KNAPP, two partners overseeing the scaling and implementation of technology.

Automation will be at the core of the site, with installation to begin in August and the first phase to be complete by the end of 2028. Skechers noted that such processes, spanning goods receipt to shipping, would not replace the existing work of on-site teams, and instead ensure balance across operations.

The set-up was described by KNAPP vice president of partner & product solutions, Oliver Lehner, as the “next-generation warehouse”. He added: “A deep level of integration of broad automated processes and the high performance capable of handling very large volumes will ensure excellent service to Skechers customers B2C and B2B.”

For Skechers, the new centre brings the company into its next phase of European expansion. By implementing innovative technologies, the retailer said it hopes to create new business opportunities in the Wallonia region, where it has had a base for over 23 years.

Europe as a market has also remained integral to Skechers, which operates over 500 retail locations in the region. Prior to going private following 3G’s acquisition of the company last year, the continent was among the company’s strongest performing markets financially.

In the final report before the takeover finalised, Skechers recorded a 22 percent growth in international revenue driven by EMEA, where revenue increased 48.5 percent to 731.5 million dollars. This contrasted with more turbulent performance in the US and China, where revenue dropped 0.2 percent and 8.2 percent, respectively.