Book retailer Thalia has opened a new 100 million euro automated logistics center in Marl, featuring an “Auto-Store” system with over 500 robots to process up to 600,000 books daily for private customers and branches across Germany.
The 100 Million Euro Investment on the Former Mine Site
The facility stands on the former site of the Auguste-Viktoria colliery in Marl. Of the 100 million euro total investment made by the Hagen-based book retailer, 17 million euros were contributed by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The centerpiece of the massive warehouse is the Auto-Store system, where hundreds of rectangular bins move back and forth on the upper floor. More than 500 robots operate above to prepare boxes filled with books and toys for dispatch.
Down on the ground floor, human employees sort individual orders into boxes. This setup allows the facility to handle online orders for private customers alongside bulk shipments for Thalia branches all over Germany simultaneously. Sven Stuwe, a 51-year-old team leader whose previous employer relocated operations abroad, noted the shift in scale. “This is a different league that we have here. Just this fully automated setup. We didn’t have that before. That is very exciting,” Stuwe said.
Employment Goals for a Budget-Guarded City
Despite the high degree of automation and robotics, the site aims to create 1,000 jobs. These positions span warehouse logistics alongside roles for IT experts and AI engineers. Ingo Kretzschmar, chairman of Thalia Bücher GmbH, emphasized that the company is betting on its workforce for the long term. “We are showing that we believe in the future of the book industry with great optimism. And Marl will play a major role in that,” Kretzschmar stated, adding that employees can expect to be needed long-term despite the presence of AI and robotics.
The project arrives as a welcome development for the city of Marl, which has long been under budgetary safeguards and carries an unemployment rate exceeding 11 percent. Mayor Thomas Terhorst welcomed the corporate settlement. “We need every job here in Marl,” Terhorst said. “For us, this settlement is a blessing and we hope that Marl will also become attractive as a place to live.”
Official Opening and Future Outlook for the Book Trade
North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister of Economic Affairs Mona Neubaur attended the opening ceremony, which featured fountains. Neubaur expressed relief that Marl is transforming into a logistics location of the future. The launch marks a strategic push by Thalia to secure its position in the retail book market amid ongoing economic challenges.
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