Vodafone Pan-European Logistics Hub in Bettembourg Set for 2026

In early October, Chronicle.lu published an article that Vodafone plans to create a pan-European logistics hub in Bettembourg, Luxembourg, to hold mobile and fixed network equipment for its European markets, with Vodafone Group's CFO, Luka Mucic, and Luxembourg's Minister of the Economy, SMEs, Energy and Tourism, Lex Delles, signing an agreement to create this facility.

The new warehouse facility is part of Vodafone's procurement and supply chain activity in Luxembourg from where Vodafone estimates that 88% of its in-market warehouses in Europe can be reached from Luxembourg within 24 hours.

Chronicle.lu talked with Reinhard Plaza Bartsch, Group Head of Logistics at the Vodafone Procurement Company in Luxembourg, who confirmed "We are well on track for the launch of our European hub in February 2026. We are partnering with MG Real Estate, who are going to develop the 36,000 m2 facility (of which Vodafone will initially lease 26,000)".

Chronicle.lu: What impact will the creation of the new hub have on Vodafone Procurement Company (VPC), which was founded in Luxembourg in 2008?

Reinhard Bartsch: The Vodafone Logistics hub will be branch of Vodafone Procurement Company. It is an expansion in scope of activities for the VPC, who are now in control not only of the procurement, but also global logistics and the physical flow of network equipment across our European markets.

Chronicle.lu: Will VPC work/liaise directly with the new logistics hub?

Reinhard Bartsch: Yes. The hub works in tandem with the VPC. We will be doing both the procurement and the physical fulfilment of demand from Vodafone business units as well as potential customers directly from. It gives as an opportunity to centralise further the management of our supplier base, as well as the balance our stock levels across all our markets. Making sure we have the right kit in the right market at the right point in time to support the growth of our network. 

Chronicle.lu: How many staff will be employed here?

Reinhard Bartsch: We expect the hub to create about 30-40 new roles in the logistics sector in Luxembourg.

Chronicle.lu: Where has the (logistics) work been done up until now?

Reinhard Bartsch: Logistics in Vodafone has predominantly been done in a distributed model with many local teams and local warehouses in each of our markets. We have started our logistics transformation a few years ago, with the creation of a logistics centre of excellence in the VPC, which has progressively taken on more and more operational control, and is nowadays steering operations across all markets. The hub is the natural next step in our transformation, strengthening the management of our inventory across Europe. 

Chronicle.lu: What are your thoughts on the news, in terms of the potential benefits (perhaps for both sides) of this increased Vodafone presence in Luxembourg?

Reinhard Bartsch: Key pointers are Standardisation (buy more of the same), inventory optimisation (135-60 days), resilience (central and local whs), re-use (refocus local staff into reverse logistics) and broader service offering for external customers.