German retailer Lidl will open its fourth logistics center in Romania, in the western town of Lugoj, which will help the company optimize its logistics processes.

The investment amounts to EUR 20 million, reports local Economica.net. The center has a built surface of 45,000 sqm, and is located on a plot of 16 hectares.

“We chose Lugoj because we want to have an expansion in the West (of the country), where we already have 46 stores. We don’t want to stop here. Lugoj is also connected to the highway,” said Cristina Lang, director of Lidl’s logistics center in Lugoj.

Company officials said that a logistics center is created to serve about 50 stores and it has some 200 employees. The new logistic hub can also support the group’s exports.

Last year, Lidl exported products under the Lidl brand, which were manufactured in Romania, worth EUR 26 million, said Claudiu Rizea, regional expansion director for Lidl. The retailer exported bakery products, oil, beer and alcoholic products.

In the 2014 financial exercise, Lidl exported Romanian products of EUR 20 million. The exports went to Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Lidl, part of the German group Lidl&Schwartz, has reached 200 stores in Romania. The company officials said that they are considering opening an online store in Romania too.

editor@romania-insider.com