Platform on new construction, renovation, restoration and transformation
After a very short start-up phase, Cornelissen contracting company started work in April 2025 on a 15,000 m2 expansion of Sligro's existing distribution center in Veghel. The expansion marks a new milestone in a long-term partnership.
“For almost 40 years we have been working for Sligro. A relationship built on craftsmanship and mutual understanding,” says a proud Chiel van Hout, director of Cornelissen contracting company. “After the realization of the refrigerated-freezer distribution center at the same location in 2020, this is a great follow-up job.” The new building will be equipped for the storage and distribution of products with a low delivery frequency, ranging from non-food and beverages to groceries and chilled items.
Basically, it is a functionally designed building with 20 loading docks, a combination of refrigeration and freezer areas and a large warehouse area. “The construction was set up in seven separate blocks,” Van Hout explains. “Dividing the project into smaller phases created an orderly and manageable process. A train was created in which all the steps per section were completed, from the installation of the mortar screw piles and groundwork to the foundation, the installation of the steel structure, facade and roof sheeting and the pouring of the floors inside. That way we had more control over the schedule.”
Indeed, a major challenge in the project was the tight schedule. “Sligro wanted to leave a rented location, so the new distribution center had to be operational quickly,” Van Hout knows. “Formally, delivery of the shell was scheduled for early 2026, but thanks to the aforementioned integrated approach and close cooperation with all parties, we were ready by the end of 2025.” In addition to the realization of the shell, Cornelissen contracting company was also responsible for the coordination of all ancillary parties, including installers for sprinkler, electrical and refrigeration systems. “That made it possible for us to integrate both airframe, finishing and infrastructure.”
In addition to the new construction, the assignment also included the redesign of the outdoor area. “The existing asphalt around the distribution center was completely renewed, including underground infrastructure, lighting, data connections and access facilities such as barriers.” Sligro is strongly committed to energy-efficient solutions. “Think solar panels, sustainable installations and minimal energy demand from the building. In addition, rainwater is collected on its own site and infiltrated via crate fields into the soil, instead of being discharged to the sewer system.”
This expansion underscores not only Sligro's ambition in terms of sustainability and logistics optimization, but also the strength of a long-term partnership between two companies. Van Hout: “Surely it is super special that as a family business we still maintain such a wonderful partnership with Sligro after forty years. We are ready for small orders, but also for large-scale developments of this kind. Just as Sligro serves its customers, we serve Sligro.”
