PM meets officials of IKEA, Fourlis over 70-mln-euro investment for global distribution center

Athens, Greece.- Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met at Maximos Mansion on Tuesday with Fourlis Group president Vasilis Fourlis and Inter IKEA Group Category Distribution Manager Andrea Colzani, who announced a joint investment in a new global distribution center led by IKEA.

Inter IKEA’s decision to invest in Greece involves 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 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 include nearly 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).

Commenting, Mitsotakis thanked the two businessmen and spoke of Greece’s prospects as a future logistics hug, utilizing the country’s unique geographic location, with its public and private infrastructure that can support such investments. He also referred to the Piraeus area’s future connection to the national railroad system.

The prime minister specifically focused on two aspects of the investment: the role of logistics in lowering consumer prices and local talent in logistics. “I would like to underline two aspects of what you said. First, better logistics means better prices. It is important that the better a supply chain operates, this ends up meaning better pricing for consumers. At a time of a higher cost of living globally, it is a key aspect. And, certainly, highly skilled job openings related to logistics. I believe we already have a younger generation of Greeks who are deciding to choose this sector as a career, combined with cutting-edge technology solutions,” Mitsotakis said.

Commenting on the investment, Development Minister Kostas Skrekas noted that Piraeus “is a port that operates very efficienly, the fourth largest in Europe and the first in the Mediterranean Sea.” This he said would allow the investors to increase their turnover by utilizing its advantages.

As Fourlis, president of Fourlis Group, said, the new distribution center will process over 250,000 cubic meters of merchandise, unloaded from Piraeus and reloaded for distribution to the entire East Mediterranean.

Inter IKEA’s officer Colzani noted that “the decision to come to this region was very simple for us.” As he explained, “From the aspect of deliveries from the Far East, and Asia, the port of Piraeus will be the best way to reduce delivery time and to take care of the sustainability aspect. This is part of our plan – what we call a People Positive Plan – to reach the point of reducing the repercussions of carbon emissions. On the side of dispatches, naturally, as you mentioned, it will be possible to provide deliveries, to serve all these countries, in a much faster manner. We know the infrastructure is very good. The port of Piraeus is something we take into account as a factor compared to other ports, and it works well. Therefore, we absolutely believe that we will continue to develop this aspect.”

Also attending the meeting at Maximou were Secretary General of Private Investments Vicky Loizou and the prime minister’s chief economic advisor, Alexis Patelis.