5 March 2026
Online supermarket Picnic is expanding its collaboration with system integrator Inther Group to Northern Germany. There, the parties are developing a new fulfillment center to facilitate the rapidly growing demand in the region. Following successful projects in Dordrecht and Ridderkerk in the Netherlands, this is the first international venture for the parties together. Completion is scheduled for 2027.
Joint Design Process
The system is the result of a design process with an integrated design team from Picnic and Inther, based on best-in-class efficiency. It is specifically designed for the complex logistics of online grocery shopping, focusing on the ergonomic, fast, and error-free delivery of a growing assortment across three temperature zones (Ambient, Chilled, and Frozen). The new German fulfilment center will make extensive use of advanced automation and robotics for order processing.
Intralogistics technology from the Netherlands
The core of the installation consists of Inther Conveyor Equipment (ICE), manufactured in the Netherlands. Inther integrates these conveyors with various hardware and software into a single, coordinated system, controlled by Picnic's Warehouse System. A shuttle ASRS with associated Decanting and Goods-to-Person workstations ensures speed and reduces the physical strain on employees. Spiral conveyors and continuous lifts ensure that the building's height is also utilized.
A separate conveyor removes cardboard for recycling. Furthermore, the system uses updated ICE conveyors in the cold room for the first time, specifically designed to minimize power consumption and heat generation.
Besides its own scope, Inther is also integrating several robots supplied by Picnic into the design, laying the foundation for integrating newly developed robotics, Vision AI applications, and other innovations with the Inther system in the future.
"Our previous collaborations in Dordrecht and Ridderkerk form a solid foundation for this international step," says Martijn Herder, CEO of Inther Group. "We now know exactly how to translate Picnic's ambitions into reliable, high-quality technology. In this project in Germany, those experiences converge into a system that takes efficiency a step further."
Frederik Nieuwenhuys, co-founder of Picnic: "It was a conscious decision to expand in Germany with a strong Dutch partner like Inther, and we are proud to be able to take the Dutch manufacturing industry abroad in this way. It is also great that Inther already brings experience with automation projects in Germany. Our partnership and combined expertise in automation allow us to serve our customers in Germany even faster and more efficiently, while further expanding our product range."