The Amazon Center in Graz is on the home stretch

Everything is relative. 11,000 square meters is quickly written down on paper, but what the actual dimension of this is can be clearly experienced in Primstatten (Graz district) – because that is the size of the distribution center of the American shipping giant Amazon that was built there. This hall fits relatively well near the A9 Kalsdorf exit, as the halls of its “neighbours” Magna and Magirus Lohr are also of impressive size.

In any case, the Amazon center is on the way to work: Premstätten's jobs have long been advertised on the relevant portals, and negotiations for commercial approval have also recently taken place. “The start-up is scheduled to take place in the second half of this year, and there is no more precise date yet,” press spokesman Steffen Adler told the Klein Zeitung newspaper. When asked what still needs to be done – from the outside it looks like it could start tomorrow – Adler laughs: “Yes, but there is still a lot to do inside.” Installation of conveyor belts, etc.

As the real estate developer “VGP Group” once put the slide: When Amazon abandoned the original plan to build a distribution center in Graz-Liebenau after resistance in the Graz City Council and from some neighbors, VGP stepped in – offering free space in their “park” in Premstatten. The groundbreaking ceremony was held in November 2022, covering an area of ​​11,000 square meters at a cost of approximately 37 million euros. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was not necessary, also due to the fact that the American company relies on infrastructure that was built long ago.

Amazon spokesman Steven Adler

© Markus Trussing

The White Hall has been around for a long time, as has the adjacent parking garage, which Amazon will use primarily for delivery trucks. In many cases, they should be electrically operated – but in any case you should take the route via motorway. The mayor of Premstatten, Matthias Bokorn, has always stressed that there will be no “passing traffic” through the city, something that was specifically agreed with Amazon. What Else Won't Happen: Although Coralambault will pass quickly in the future, Amazon will not allow goods to be transported by rail for the time being. This is generally less suitable for the “last mile,” says Adler.

In return, even after opening its own center in Premstatten, continuous cooperation with the post office in Kalsdorf will be maintained. The American company has been delivering its parcels through this postal logistics center for years, he adds, “and it will remain that way,” stresses Stephen. Also changing is that in the near future, Amazon customers in the greater Graz area will no longer receive their goods within hours on the same day, as they do in Vienna or Munich. “At the moment, this is only possible in larger cities.”