Schou consolidates activities and invests half a billion in Kolding
The international commercial group Schou has purchased 36 hectares of land from Kolding Municipality and is investing about half a billion DKK in a massive new warehouse and headquarters. Both the mayor, Jørn Pedersen (on the left), and the principal shareholder of the Group, Jørgen Schou, are looking forward to the company returning home and generating development and jobs.
The mayor's office in Kolding as well as the headquarters of Schou Company A/S are buzzing with excitement. The company, which was founded in Vamdrup just outside Kolding in 1963 and which has a turnover of DKK 2 billion, is consolidating its activities in Kolding.
This will take place in a large area between Kolding and Vamdrup, just by E45 and right next to the logistics and transport centre, which Stender Innovation published plans to build less than a month ago. Schou purchased 36 hectares of land and will construct a warehouse, administration and showroom spanning about 100,000 square metres. A total investment of about DKK 500 million.
“We are looking forward to consolidating our warehouse, showroom and headquarters near Kolding, but this decision was not made purely using our hearts. The location is an ideal logistics solution for us, and it makes sense to be neighbours to Stender’s project, which generates a nice synergy with our plans,” says Jørgen Schou, owner of the Schou Group together with LLG A/S.
The mayor says “welcome home”
The mayor, Jørn Pedersen, is happy that the unique commercial area at Kolding Syd will finally be put to use, and to top things off, it will be thanks to a local player.
“I am a very happy mayor. Until just a few months ago, the development of the area was considered to be a failure. Today, the entire area is sold out. It is fantastic that an old, illustrious company like Schou will establish something so visible and consolidate so many jobs in Kolding. Therefore, it also makes sense for the main road to the area to be named Andreas Schou Vej, after the man that laid the foundation for the group that Schou is today,” says the mayor.
“I think it is appropriate that Andreas Schou is remembered in this way for his great contribution to the business community in our municipality,” he adds.
The construction will commence right away.
Naturally, this also pleases Jørgen Schou, who is Andreas Schou’s son and the principal shareholder, with 300 employees and subsidiaries and offices around the world. Despite the Schou Group’s global expansion with the buying and selling of virtually all non-food home products to large retail chains throughout Europe, the local connection is important to Jørgen Schou.
When the entire construction, which includes a warehouse, showroom and administration, is complete, it will span more than 100,000 square kilometres, house 300 employees and have a storage capacity of over 100,000 pallet places. The construction will commence in early 2021, and the first buildings will be ready on 1 June 2022.
“Of course, we are particularly happy that this huge area is not just sold off for a development project, but that there are specific plans that will be realised right away,” says the mayor, Jørn Pedersen.
The goal of attracting science and research companies to the area, which for many years was known as Nordic Synergy Park, did not succeed. Therefore, Kolding Municipality revised the plans for the area and has now, in a relatively short period of time, succeeded in selling all 657,500 square metres to the two enormous projects.
For further information, please contact the principal shareholder, Jørgen Schou, Schou Company A/S, at 2060 9393 and mayor Jørn Pedersen, Kolding Municipality, at 5148 2738.