A view of Fielmann Group’s new fulfilment center being built in Chomutov, Czech Republic.
HAMBURG, Germany—European optical retailer Fielmann Group (FIE:Vienna), based here, announced last week that it is investing more than €65 million in a new high-tech facility consisting of an eyewear production as well as a highly automated fulfilment center in Chomutov, Czech Republic. The construction is ongoing and operations are scheduled to start in 2024. In the medium-term, the Fielmann Group is creating 500 new jobs in Chomutov, the company said. “Following our Vision 2025, our new facility in Chomutov is an important addition to the unique made-to-order manufacturing and fulfilment network that drives our omnichannel platform,” Marc Fielmann, CEO of Fielmann Group.

“This investment not only provides the basis for the Fielmann Group’s rapid expansion across Europe but is also part of a large-scale program that is redefining the product availability, delivery times and prices our 27 million customers can expect. By growing our manufacturing footprint in Europe, we also reduce costs as well as CO2 emissions, bolster our strategic independence and improve our profitability.”
 
In the medium-term, the Fielmann Group said it is investing more than €100 million in its manufacturing and logistics capabilities to sustain its strong growth across Europe. In Chomutov, Czech Republic, the German family business is investing €65 million in a state-of-the-art manufacturing and logistics facility stretching across 37,000 square meters. The made-to-order manufacturing has an initial capacity of 2.5 million pairs of glasses per year and can be extended to nearly 5 million pairs of glasses in the long-term. The fully automated shuttle fulfilment center is planned to handle a capacity of up to 8 million items, according to Fielmann.
 
Georg Rau, VP of manufacturing and logistics of Fielmann Group, said, “Chomutov is part of a long-term investment program that upgrades and extends the manufacturing and logistics capabilities of the Fielmann Group. We are going to significantly improve our lead times, the dependability of our product delivery and the cost structure for our sales channels.
 
Next to Chomutov, we are currently setting up new fulfilment centers across Europe to sustain the double-digit growth of our e-commerce business. Furthermore, we are evaluating new manufacturing locations in Western and Southern Europe where the number of our customers is growing rapidly. And we are dedicating an additional €35 million investment to our largest manufacturing and fulfilment site in Rathenow [Germany] to better serve our customers,” Rau said.
 
The Fielmann Group is a stock-listed family business based in Hamburg, Germany. It serves 27 million active customers through an omnichannel platform comprised of digital sales channels as well as more than 900 retail stores across 16 countries.