French publishing group Madrigall will open an automated distribution centre in Seine-et-Marne in 2028, built around an AutoStore system supplied by Kardex with roughly 300,000 bins and 300 robots. The project reworks how the group ships books across its imprints.
Consolidating Sodis and Union Distribution
The new site pulls together the work of two specialist subsidiaries. Sodis, Gallimard’s long-standing distribution arm, handles restocking, returns and new releases from two warehouses at Lagny-sur-Marne and Cregy-les-Meaux. Union Distribution takes care of storage, order preparation and shipping for other group publishers, among them Flammarion, J’ai Lu, Casterman and Futuropolis, running a platform at Sermaises in the Loiret alongside partner sites.
Once the centre goes live in 2028, the activities of both subsidiaries are set to be split between the Sermaises platform and the new build.
AutoStore at the core
Kardex will deploy an AutoStore of about 300,000 bins served by 300 robots. The integrator is also fitting conveyors, a robotic palletising system and its warehouse control software. The design targets high-throughput picking while pushing storage density and operational flexibility.
“The gradual consolidation of our order preparation and shipping activities within a single automated distribution centre marks an important step,” said Dominique Wettstein, distribution managing director at Madrigall.
What the shift means for the group’s partner warehouses, and for delivery times to French bookshops, will come into focus as construction advances.
