Sud Fresh expands in Namur

Sud Fresh is preparing for an impressive new project in 2025. 

To meet the increasing demand for conditioned food storage, we are starting the construction of a “mega freezer” in Rhisnes (Namur). The project goes beyond additional storage capacity and also plays an important role in the sustainability of our business activities, in particular the future electrification of our vehicle fleet.

Our current capacity of 25,000 pallet spaces, spread across our warehouses in Aubange and Rhisnes, is already fully booked until 2031. Therefore, we will use our land reserves in Rhisnes to build an additional 6,000 m² warehouse, fully temperature controlled and with an impressive height of 20 to 21 meters. The new warehouse is expected to add 10,000 additional pallet spaces and is located right next to the current cross-dock site. This will allow us to respond even faster and more efficiently to our customers’ needs, which will benefit both our productivity and our service quality.

The building permit is expected in the first quarter of 2025, after which we will start the work in the third quarter. We expect the new location to be operational by the end of 2026.

Sustainability is central to this expansion. The new temperature-controlled warehouse will of course be equipped with solar panels on the roof, and possibly also on one of the facades. This will help to minimize our ecological footprint and support the purchase of electric trucks in the coming years. “Our warehouses have a high energy demand. With solar panels on the roof, we can cover up to 50% of our energy demand in the summer and between 30 and 35% at other times,” says CEO Vincent Gaillard. “To further increase the share of renewable energy, we are looking at several options. One of these is the installation of two small wind turbines with horizontal rotor blades. These would complement the solar panels well, because they provide peak power at other times.”

However, an initial analysis shows that such an investment is less financially profitable than solar panels. As an alternative, Sud Fresh is therefore investigating the possibility of also equipping the walls of the new building with solar panels, which would also provide additional thermal insulation. It is also considering covering the truck parking area with solar panels, and there is a plan for a temporary system to store electricity, so that future electric trucks can always charge.

As a transport company and especially as a dedicated partner of our customers, we continue to invest in the future. We are fully committed to a future in which sustainability, quality and growth go hand in hand!