The central logistics facility for the Sprinter sports retailer, located in Alicante, stands as a pivotal hub for both online orders and nationwide distribution. The site covers an area of 140,000 square meters and operates around the clock to manage a high-volume flow of goods. The parent company reports that the center processes up to one million pieces in the first week of a major sales period, underscoring its critical role in meeting demand across markets. With a large workforce already in place, the facility runs a 24-hour operation to sustain continuous order fulfillment and stock replenishment (Attribution: Sprinter).
During the busiest phases, Sprinter’s logistics center boosts its headcount by adding more than 180 staff members, taking the total team size to over 450. This expanded workforce is structured to support daily package movement and order preparation. Management anticipates that this headcount could continue to grow as the sales period advances, ensuring capacity aligns with rising order volumes. Of the orders fulfilled during peak times, roughly 75,000 are processed through automated picking, where a system retrieves items from shelves, while about 95% are sorted automatically for dispatch (Attribution: Sprinter).
British JD remains the sole owner of Sprinter and oversees the group’s affiliated companies in Spain. The logistics center operates as a strategic safeguard, supplementing workforce expansion with a broader distribution plan. More than 210 stores across Spain participate in stock management strategies, and proactive measures help prevent stockouts. In the weeks leading up to sales events, the operation aims to ship more than two million units wherever possible (Attribution: Sprinter).
Sergio Morales, Sprinter’s Fulfillment Manager, notes that the sales campaign marks the final phase of a demanding schedule that begins with Black Friday. The objective is to safeguard a strong year-end outcome by reinforcing the workforce to meet order preparation forecasts and to secure optimal delivery times in the current quarter. Morales emphasizes that the team’s expanded role is essential for maintaining reliability during peak shipping windows (Attribution: Sprinter).
He adds that this year has placed particular emphasis on online stock availability and agile processing. The goal is to handle receiving, quality checks, location assignment, and put-to-sale operations as efficiently as possible. Morales highlights that the team’s involvement makes high-quality fulfillment feasible and sustainable during the busiest periods of the year (Attribution: Sprinter).
State-of-the-Art Center
The facility is situated in the Polígono de las Atalayas and features advanced logistics technologies designed to maximize speed and accuracy. A self-contained Miniload system handles a substantial box capacity, and a large shuttle storage system provides dynamic capacity to speed up picking. An integrated set of sorters directs orders to the appropriate units, while conveyor belts connect the entire site to ensure smooth material flow (Attribution: Sprinter).
In May 2022, a new online-order sorting machine began operation, capable of processing more than 1,000 orders per hour. This addition enhances throughput during high-demand periods and reduces lead times for e-commerce orders (Attribution: Sprinter).
All goods carry barcodes at the product, box, and pallet levels, and the system maintains full traceability through seamless integration with external suppliers. This transparency supports visibility from factory departure to point of sale, enabling rapid responses to inventory and delivery needs (Attribution: Sprinter).
Julian Maestre, head of Sprinter Logistics, explains that the positive results achieved during the current challenging phase stem from the automation installed and the flexibility to adapt production to demand. The experience of the operations teams has been a crucial factor in sustaining performance through peak cycles (Attribution: Sprinter).