Double success

When the logistics park in Stryków received the Eurobuild Award for the first time in 2014, it was called Panattoni Park Stryków and was still under the management of Panattoni Europe. The developer with American origins started the construction process in 2008. French DIY store chain Leroy Merlin was the tenant of the first building, leasing as much as 56,000 sqm – a record contract for the warehouse market in Poland at that time. The tenant moved in in 2009, followed by more success in leasing the complex. Other tenants included Spedimex (17,000 sqm), Raben (11,000 sqm) and the park soon became completely full. Now its tenants also include Schenker (6,000 sqm), Saint-Gobain (4,400 sqm) and Logimed (2,500 sqm). Renegotiations of the contracts with Leroy Merlin in 2012 and Raben as well as Saint Gobain in 2013 were also a success. A year later the park was sold by Panattoni to US fund Blackstone, which included it in its Logicor platform. “Our portfolio in Poland includes 22 logistics parks, four of which are located in central Poland. The facility in Stryków has an excellent location – 5 km from the junction of the A1 and A2 motorways. Furthermore, its short distance from Łódź provides easy access to qualified staff. The proximity of the conurbation makes the Logicor Stryków park an ideal place for companies representing a good number of industries, particularly large and reputable companies,” says Roman Skowroński, the head of the asset management department of Logicor in Central and Eastern Europe.

What do tenants appreciate most?

The Stryków park is lucky to have tenants with an unusual level of enthusiasm. In the survey carried out by Millward Brown, they gave the complex the maximum number of points as many as twelve times (out of a total of 23 answers, maximum points were given for more than half of these). The park obtained the highest scores for infrastructure, the functionality of the systems used, the working conditions (the heating, lighting, air-conditioning, etc.), the floors, the car parks and the manoeuvring square for the lorries, the office security, the transparency of the accounting and service fees, as well as for the technical service. Krzysztof Redkowiak, the director of Raben Polska, one of the anchor tenants of the park, is not surprised by the honour it has received. The premises leased by the company are equipped with high standard, modern inter-rack sprinklers systems. According to him, the manager’s flexibility in its relations with the tenants was of key importance. “For a logistics company such as Raben, it is crucial that we can modify some of our equipment for the needs of our clients. Apart from the sprinklers, we have built a paint mixer for one of our clients. The project was implemented by the manager without any problems,” says Krzysztof Redkowiak. He also emphasises that he can also rely on the manager’s support when it comes to expert knowledge. “These are complicated technical issues that require extensive consultation with fire prevention experts. It is necessary to have in-depth knowledge and experience in the application of the American NFPA norms, according to which the fire prevention systems in modern warehouses are built. I’ve been most pleasantly surprised by the way the Logicor team cooperates on such projects,” says Krzysztof Redkowiak.

Does it have any weak points?

We need also to take a look at the categories this year’s winner was awarded slightly fewer points by the tenants. They were more reuctant to give points for the availability of the workforce, the access to public transport, the car park for the employees and guests, as well as the rent levels. However, once everything was added up, it was Logicor Stryków that took the crown, beating off such facilities as Ideal Idea in Warsaw’s Okęcie and Logistic City in Piotrków Trybunalski, and ahead of other competitors from the shortlist of Centrum Logistyczne Kowale, Goodman Pomorskie Centrum Logistyczne, Logicor Mysłowice, MLP Pruszków I, Panattoni Park Sosnowiec, Prologis Park Chorzów and Prologis Park Poznań II.

What is the park’s greatest advantage? The representative of Raben explains that the first thing that comes to mind is its location. However, the same could probably be said about all the parks in this area, such as the nearby Segro complex or Diamond Business Park – all of which have warehouses of a similar class. “So from our point of view the thing that tips the balance is the additional, non-standard equipment in our warehouse provided by the facility manager,” emphasises Krzysztof Redkowiak. He also regards the speed of the manager when it comes to repairs with a great deal of positivity, such as, for example, in the recent case of malfunctioning sprinklers. “There was an immediate reaction and a quick solution to a current problem,” says Krzysztof Redkowiak.

The friendly approach of the manager (both the former manager Panattoni and the current one Logicor) has clearly been bearing fruit. In 2013 Raben prolonged its contract for another five years and is now staying until the end of 2018. “We make long-term commitments in terms of lease issues because of the investment we put into our parks. The level of this investment is too high to change our facilities every two or three years,” explains Krzysztof Redkowiak. He also holds the owner of the park, the Logicor platform, in high regard. “It is clear that the manager does what the owner consents to and not every owner wants to take on additional problems resulting from such an open policy towards tenants,” says Krzysztof Redkowiak. However, this seems to be just what Logicor had in mind. “Since the very beginning of our operations in Europe and Poland we have been concentrating on our relations with clients. We focus on openness and trust. We believe that their development will mean the development of our company. We also have this approach to our clients from Logicor Stryków. What are the manager’s further plans regarding the tenant mix? It is just ordinary everyday work of a manager – renegotiations of current contracts and leasing the vacated space. “Certain locations attract certain types of tenant. In the case of Stryków, these are clients who want to have central distribution across Poland from one point,” explains Roman Skowroński.