Allego will install a total of 1,500 charging points at 123 porta Group locations all of which are expected to be operational by the end of 2024. The charging stations will be able to offer both fast (50 kW) and ultra-fast (150 kW) charging points. The first fast-charging stations are already operational at porta locations in Potsdam, Altenburg, and Markranstädt. Additionally, the porta Group headquarters has been equipped with semi-public ultra-fast charging stations, which are available for employees as well as for visiting electric vehicle (EV) drivers.

To meet future demand, the chargers are equipped to be upgraded to ultra-fast charging later. The charging stations are available to all visitors at porta locations as well as EV drivers who are passing through. All charging stations can be found through Allego’s Smoov app and third-party charging apps.

The management of the porta Group of companies is pleased about the cooperation, “For almost 60 years, we have had our finger on the pulse with our furniture stores. Expanding our locations to include state-of-the-art fast-charging options is therefore a logical step. We were looking for a partner who could pave the way for us into the future in terms of scalability and innovative knowledge and experience with companies like ours. After our first test run in Potsdam in 2021, we decided to continue on this path with Allego.”

Allego’s Chief Executive Officer, Mathieu Bonnet, adds, “As an international operator of charging infrastructure, we offer a wide range of solutions that are geared to best meet the needs of EV users. We made a conscious decision to offer lower charging capacities and more charging points, as the dwell time in the furniture stores is usually longer. We are very pleased to be able to work with porta, a company that has built up an incredible network of furniture stores over the years and fits perfectly with our own claim to offer a reliable and broad-based network of charging solutions throughout Germany.”

About the porta Group of companies

The porta Group currently includes 28 large-scale porta furniture stores, two porta kitchen worlds in Berlin-Mahlsdorf and Leipzig-Paunsdorf, around 100 stores of the omnichannel furnishing discounter SB-Möbel BOSS, 22 furnishing stores of the ASKO Group in the Czech Republic and Slovakia as well as the Saxony-Anhalt furniture retailer Möbel Letz. The group of companies with around 7.000 employees, 2022 generated an annual turnover of 1.34 billion euros. Birgit Gärtner and Achim Fahrenkamp are the second generation to run the company.

As a family business, the porta group of companies is involved in various social projects and institutions. porta’s main focus is on supporting the “Andreas Gärtner Foundation – Help for People with Intellectual Disabilities”, which was established in 1993 by porta co-founder Hermann Gärtner.