Press release from 17.03.2010
Investors create 1,000 new jobs in the Rhenish city of Bergheim
Bergheim / Düsseldorf, March 17, 2010 – The groundbreaking ceremony for the new logistics and processing center of the trading company TK Maxx took place today on the approx. 70,000 square meter plot in Bergheim. With the settlement of the European company with its roots in the USA, 1,000 new jobs have been created in the region. From this location in the heart of Europe, TK Maxx wants to further expand its position in the German and European markets.
The Cologne-based company Alpha Industrial had acquired the plot from the city of Bergheim in order to build the new logistics center for TK Maxx. The investment volume including the purchase of the plot and the construction of the logistics complex is approx. 19 million euros on the part of Alpha Industrial.
At the groundbreaking ceremony Dr. Jens Baganz, State Secretary in the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, also emphasized the importance of the state as a logistics location. Only in January, the World Bank had declared Germany the number one logistics location – and with 21,600 companies and 270,000 employees North Rhine-Westphalia occupies the leading role in this sector. "We can therefore consider ourselves the world logistics champion, and the decision of TK Maxx is further confirmation of this", said Baganz in Bergheim.
NRW.INVEST supported TK Maxx from September 2009 in its search for a suitable location, underlining the benefits of North Rhine-Westphalia. More than ten sites were available in North Rhine-Westphalia and competing with locations outside the state. The first intensive talks took place in January 2010 and the Bergheim location was already chosen at the end of February. "TK Maxx is a prime example of the quick and efficient thinking of a global player", believes NRW.INVEST CEO Petra Wassner. "Investment decisions are rarely taken as swiftly as at TK Maxx."
Speed and efficiency were also important factors when choosing the location. The city of Bergheim was no slower than TK Maxx in this respect: "We were able to clarify all outstanding questions and had the project in the bag in just two and a half months", says Bergheim's mayoress Maria Pfordt, expressing pride in her administration. She hopes for positive effects in the medium term in the form of new jobs and the expected high tax revenue.
TK Maxx intends to commence operations in Bergheim in November 2010. An ambitious but realistic goal. The trading company for top brands and designer fashion currently operated 28 branches in Germany, including five in North Rhine-Westphalia, and has plans for further growth. The performance of the resulting necessary and growing logistics can now be guaranteed smoothly from Bergheim.
For further information and press queries:
NRW.INVEST GmbH
Annette Peis, Press and PR
Tel.: +49 (0) 211-130 00 162, fax: +49 (0) 211-130 00 154
e-mail:
Peis@nrwinvest.comTK Maxx and Alpha Industrial:
Silke Hoffmann Press Office: SH/Communication
Tel.: +49 (0) 2159/69 49 8-0, fax: + 49 (0) 2159/69 49 8-9
e-mail:
s.hoffmann@shcommunication.deCounty Seat Bergheim
Ansgar Mirgeler, City Council and Mayoress's Office
Tel.: + 49 (0) 2271 89442
Fax: + 49 (0) 2271 89460
e-mail:
Ansgar.Mirgeler@Bergheim.de
