Press release:
Castorama France: en route to sustainable logistics

24 February 2006

Castorama is taking another step in its corporate responsibility plan. Forty kilometres southeast of Paris, at the Paris Val Bréon distribution centre which opened in November last year, the company is constructing a custom-built logistics centre that can house up to 90,000 pallets of goods in an area set to reach 72,000 square metres.

The site, which is leading edge in terms of respect for the environment, is located close to river ports in the Paris region (Bonneuil sur Marne and Genevilliers) and is also connected to the railway network. Construction of the buildings meets eight of the 14 HQE (High Environmental Quality) criteria, such as energy resource optimisation, water use and use of easily recyclable construction materials. The centre will supply stores in the largest region of France, Ile-de-France, but it will also serve the rest of France by meeting a new growth in imports.

"Our new logistics platform will mean we can absorb a rise in the volumes being distributed using more lower impact distribution methods," explains Jean de La Roche Aymon, Project Leader at Castorama. Containers from Asia will reach the site by water via Le Havre, whilst some European goods will arrive by rail.

There are also plans for the installation of a sorting area at the new logistics centre, which will enable Castorama France to eventually offer new services to stores, in particular the collection and sorting of empty packaging and, later, of used electrical equipment returned by customers in compliance with the WEEE Directive.

The opening is planned for September 2006.