A study on the location selection of Cold Chain Logistics Distribution Centre Based on Entropy-TOPSIS Model: The Case of a City in Anhui Province

Abstract

The construction of cold chain distribution centres serves as a critical means of reducing post‑harvest agricultural product losses and food waste during circulation. Hence, how to select and locate cold chain logistics distribution centres scientifically has become an important issue. This research proposes a location selection method based on the Entropy-Weighted TOPSIS approach to quantitatively select cold chain logistics distribution centres. First, a site selection index system is constructed from four dimensions: economic development level, distribution operation capacity, economic environments and cost factors. Subsequently, entropy method is employed to determine the weights, and a site evaluation model is constructed based on TOPSIS. The findings illustrate that Entropy-TOPSIS method can be applied to the cold chain logistics centre selection problems. Finally, this paper takes a selected city as a case study and applies the developed site evaluation model to determine the location of its cold chain logistics distribution centre.