Background

In SPAR’s delivery area in Eastern Austria (Lower Austria, Vienna, and northern Burgenland), SPAR stores are currently supplied once per day from two central warehouses. Diesel trucks are typically used for this purpose. For products with special freshness requirements and very short shelf life, at least one additional daily delivery is now being considered. However, using the two existing central warehouses as the starting point would result in many additional truck kilometers.

Project Description

To enable an additional delivery to stores using electric transporters, SPAR is currently testing whether this can be achieved successfully through a logistics hub (micro-hub) in Vienna. This micro-hub is supplied directly by the producers. The project therefore tests a two‑tier delivery concept – a model often recommended in the scientific literature for addressing challenges in city logistics, especially on the last mile.

Previous micro-hub projects, however, have focused mainly on urban, densely populated areas, while the QLog project examines whether such a solution can be rolled out across the whole of Eastern Austria – including small towns and rural regions. In addition, many past micro-hub projects were not continued beyond the pilot phase. QLog aims to change this by developing a long‑term solution based on a holistic assessment of ecological, social, and economic aspects.

Goals

The goal of QLog is to develop an innovative quick logistics system for SPAR’s store network in Eastern Austria. Currently, deliveries are handled via the two central warehouses in St. Pölten and Ebergassing using conventional trucks. The new concept, however, proposes a two‑tier delivery system enabling additional, short‑notice deliveries of fresh and baked goods. It is also intended to pave the way for the deployment of electric transporters. In other words: fresh goods should reach stores within a few hours after picking up, with low emissions.

Methodology

The project uses insights from an ongoing test run in which selected SPAR stores in Vienna’s city center are already supplied daily with bakery products and other sensitive items. These insights will help create a concept for scaling such a system across all of Eastern Austria. This includes identifying suitable micro-hub locations, selecting appropriate electric vehicles and optimally assigning stores to micro-hubs.

A cost‑benefit analysis is used to evaluate the concept. Costs include, among others, investment and operating costs for the hubs and the required electric transporters. On the benefit side, the focus is on whether the quality and freshness of products can be improved, how customer service can be enhanced, and whether employee workload can be reduced - e.g., through fewer preparation tasks directly in the stores.

Electric transporters can be driven with a regular Class B driving license, helping mitigate the shortage of truck drivers. An additional impact assessment evaluates expected ecological effects.

Result

QLog assesses the feasibility of a new logistics concept that can be used in both urban and rural regions. With at least one additional short‑notice delivery per day, fresh goods are intended to reach stores with better freshness and consistent quality. Newly established micro-hubs will support a greater use of electric vehicles, reducing both greenhouse gas emissions and noise.

The quick logistics concept is also intended to improve planning and reduce the amount of unsold fresh goods—and therefore food waste.

The project produces a sound, evaluated concept for a quick logistics system for SPAR in Eastern Austria. This includes recommendations on the number and location of micro-hubs, store assignments, the required fleet of electric vehicles, and a cost‑benefit analysis that also considers ecological aspects.

Partner

Funding

This project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Mobility, and Infrastructure (BMIMI) and is being implemented by Schieneninfrastruktur-Dienstleistungsgesellschaft mbH (SCHIG mbH) as part of the Logistics Support Program.