Real estate experts from DHL Supply Chain, a leading contract logistics provider, have developed a portfolio of CO2-neutral properties totaling 400,000 sqm to support the growth needs of customers in six European markets. All of the facilities are located in central logistics areas, which have the great advantage of being close to multimodal transportation hubs, designed to serve customers in a variety of industries.
All buildings will have modern technical specifications, reflecting the campus concept, and will become mission-critical hubs for DHL Supply Chain and its domestic and international customers. The 14 units are being built in 10 locations in major logistics markets – Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Italy and Poland. All buildings are expected to meet key sustainability criteria such as BREEAM Excellent and EPC A, comply with EU taxonomy and pass the Carbon Risk Real Estate Monitor (CRREM) assessment.
“The construction of carbon-neutral warehouses with a total area of 400,000 sqm is an important strategic step, as we aim to meet our customers’ ever-growing demand for sustainable warehouse space in strategic markets. We build all of our facilities on a solid business basis, including aspects such as sustainability, digitalization, location, demographics, and tenancy. Transportation conditions or proximity to key markets help us to reduce delivery times to our customers, and careful attention to the social factors affecting our reality and the communities among which we operate helps us to create attractive workplaces, and ensures that we have access to a loyal and skilled workforce. These factors help us and our customers to be even more successful and to lead the way to a more sustainable future,” says Hendrik Venter, president of DHL Supply Chain, EMEA.
DHL Supply Chain has already found an investor and strategic partner to develop the first tranche of its 400,000 sqm warehouse portfolio. Allianz Real Estate, acting on behalf of several Allianz Group companies, and DHL Supply Chain have entered into an agreement to sell the first half of the portfolio. The warehouses, expected to be completed between the first quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024, will be one of Allianz Real Estate’s largest purchases to date in the logistics sector in terms of gross leasable area. The five facilities will occupy a total of more than 200,000 sqm.
“I am very proud that we can offer our customers in Poland business development opportunities with warehouses that are not only perfectly located, but above all comply with the highest ESG and sustainability criteria. The Central and Eastern European region continues to grow extremely rapidly, and DHL Supply Chain wants to meet the expectations of our customers who are looking for reliable logistics partners. The construction of the DSC E-com Distribution Center complex in Gorzow Wielkopolski is the next stage in the development of DHL Supply Chain’s operations in the western part of Poland, as well as a response to the growing demand for service to the ecommerce market, which has been growing at a record double-digit rate for the past few years,” says Orkun Saruhanoghlu, who took over as CEO of DHL Supply Chain in Central and Eastern Europe a month ago.
DHL Supply Chain will occupy at least 85% of the facilities built for Allianz Real Estate on the basis of long-term leases upon completion.
