At Stanley/Stella, providing the best, most sustainably made blank garments on the market isn’t just about product quality, it’s also about outstanding service. We want our network of Official Dealers to have access to exactly the products they need when they need them – so they can delight their customers and grow their businesses. After all, our partners’ success is the key to our own.
In June 2024, as part of our strategy to decentralise our logistics network and be present in our key markets, we began a partnership with ID Logistics to open a regional distribution centre in Saint-Rambert-d’Albon, near Lyon in France. Now fully operational, this site allows us to better serve our southern European partners without compromising on our sustainability commitments.
Faster deliveries and increased agility
Our new regional distribution centre brings direct and significant benefits for dealers located in France, our second-largest market, as well as those in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Switzerland. Previously served by our European distribution centre in Germany, these partners will now enjoy faster deliveries, increasing their agility and accommodating growth.
Thanks to our advanced inventory system, dealers assigned to the new distribution centre have real-time visibility on the 3.5 million+ items in stock. This, combined with real-time stock levels in our European Distribution Centre in Germany – typically available to our southern European dealers within seven days – gives the ultimate flexibility and allows partners to meet the varying needs of their customers. Precise order preparation and swift return handling are also prioritised in the new distribution centre thanks to state-of-the-art equipment and trained staff.
For our southern European dealers who share our vision for a more sustainable textile industry, the proximity of this site represents yet another step in the right direction – fewer kilometres driven and fewer emissions per delivery lowers our overall emissions. In fact, we estimate that the opening of our French distribution centre will contribute to a 6.5% drop in our CO2 emissions.
Sustainable by design
Like every aspect of our operations, sustainability remains at the heart of our logistics strategy and our new distribution centre embodies that commitment. The site, managed by ID Logistics, is certified BREEAM Excellent, reflecting its impressive sustainability performance.
Various environmental innovations have been integrated to ensure optimal use of resources and a low carbon footprint, including 100% LED lighting with sensors, a mixed wood and concrete construction, and heating by air/water heat pump. The site is also equipped with a 3.2 MWc rooftop photovoltaic system, providing energy equivalent to the yearly consumption of 800 households.
The ecosystem around the site has also been respected, with a 1.5 hectare landscaped pond, 6 hectares of land under protection for 50 years to maintain the ecological balance, and fences that allow small wildlife to pass freely.
An important milestone
The opening of our new regional distribution centre in France is a significant milestone in our strategy to be present in our key markets and achieve a European logistics network that aligns excellent service levels with minimised carbon emissions and consideration for the environment in general.
In 2023, we moved our European Distribution Centre from Belgium to Duisburg in Germany, which allows us to offer next-day delivery across Germany, our largest market, while still ensuring high service levels in Belgium and the Netherlands. DSV, the company operating the site, is EcoVadis Platinum certified, reflecting their excellent sustainability credentials. The facility itself is certified DGNB Gold, confirming its high performance in terms of environmental, economic and sociocultural aspects, among others.
In the UK, we opened our first partner warehouse in 2022, which allowed us to streamline transport by receiving shipments directly from our partner factories in Asia. In early 2024, we moved to a new, more modern facility. Located near Birmingham, our new partner warehouse is ISO 14001 certified, demonstrating a commitment to continually improving the site’s environmental performance.
