KARL LAGERFELD, the global fashion and lifestyle business founded by the renowned creative director, has expanded its partnership with Bleckmann, specialists in supply chain management for fashion and lifestyle brands. The brand is now operating with a second European fulfilment operation at one of Bleckmann’s Spanish distribution centres, in the fashion logistics hub of Zaragoza. The operation, which went live in April, is dedicated to serving KARL LAGERFELD’s European outlet channel, handling warehousing, pick-and-pack services and B2B delivery to outlet stores. This is in addition to the brand’s existing European fulfilment hub, operated by Bleckmann in Almelo, the Netherlands. Bleckmann has supported KARL LAGERFELD with end-to-end warehousing and fulfilment across Europe since 2021.
Our ongoing relationship with Bleckmann has enabled us to deliver high service standards that our global consumers expect while simultaneously achieving meaningful operational efficiency gains
The Zaragoza advantage: An established fashion logistics hub
Spain’s leading position in the European logistics network is well established and increasingly hard to overlook for brands, with Zaragoza as a central node within Bleckmann’s Spanish logistics network. A truck leaving Zaragoza can reach many of Europe’s major cities in one to two days, making it an ideal base for both serving KARL LAGERFELD’s strong presence in southern Europe and pan-European distribution. The area is home to Spain’s second-largest cargo airport and has good sea freight connections via Barcelona, Valencia and Bilbao. In addition, most of Spain’s key commercial centres, accounting for a high proportion of the country’s GDP, are within a 350 km radius of the city. Combined with an established network of fashion and lifestyle logistics expertise, this provides key operational advantages and has made Zaragoza home to global brands.
A dual-hub solution: Optimal operations for differentiated channels
The move, which went from green light to go-live in just three months, reflects the brand’s strategy of tailoring its logistics infrastructure to meet ongoing business needs. Bleckmann’s integrated inventory management system ensures that stock is expertly coordinated across both warehouses, meaning the move did not add further operational complexity. “This type of dual-hub fulfilment model is something we’re very used to doing,” says Fernando Sainz Martinez-Vara de Rey, Business Development Director at Bleckmann in Spain. “We have the systems set up, we have the integrations ready and we’re connected with the rest of the activity for KARL LAGERFELD. Now that the operation is up and running, we’re already looking at what we can improve to be more efficient.”
Driving enhanced agility for scalable operational efficiency
The short timeline of the go-live – incorporating systems integrations, warehouse fit-out, process design and testing – demonstrates that, with the right partner and a dedicated warehousing footprint, complexity can be managed more efficiently than most expect. It also illustrates the strength of the collaboration throughout the five-year logistics partnership. Together with KARL LAGERFELD, Bleckmann has worked to drive greater efficiency and operational resilience through a range of targeted measures. “Our ongoing relationship with Bleckmann has enabled us to deliver high service standards that our global consumers expect while simultaneously achieving meaningful operational efficiency gains” concludes Timothy Dreijer, Senior Vice President Retail, Supply Chain & Operations and Legal Affairs at KARL LAGERFELD. “The recent expansion in Spain is the latest step on that shared journey.”
