New markets, new formats and new records

Last year the developer started projects with a combined area of 1.2 mln sqm in the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland. This is equivalent to launching construction of a 25,000 sqm building every week. The developer is currently building two distribution centres for Amazon (near Szczecin and in Sosnowiec, 161,500 sqm and 135,000 sqm respectively), it is finishing construction work on a logistics centre for Jago which has an area of 120,000 sqm and is located near Hückelhoven in Germany and in the Czech Republic it is extending a distribution centre for Tchibo in Panattoni Park Cheb by an additional 30,000 sqm. In 2016, Panattoni leased around 968,000 sqm, 86 pct of which represented completely new leases, 9 pct expansions and 5 pct renewals. A report by JLL shows that Panattoni Europe is also the leader in terms of warehouse completed after 1995 – over this period the developer has delivered 29.2 pct of the total supply in Poland or nearly 3.27 mln sqm out of nearly 11.2 mln sqm of warehouse space delivered. “Our portfolio and our current developments prove that as a developer we are able to deliver both small and also extremely large facilities with as much as 120,000 sqm within a single complex,” comments Robert Dobrzycki, chief executive officer Europe for Panattoni Europe. “The transformation of logistics and industry, the development of e-commerce and the overall improvement of the economy in Europe have created very good prospects for the development of the market and Panattoni Europe over the next few years,” says Robert Dobrzycki. According to the CEO for Europe, the driver behind the development of the warehouse industry in Poland is the rapid development of e-commerce, which accounts for just a small percentage of the market but has the potential to grow very quickly. Also the automotive industry which is strong in Poland is expected to continue to generate demand for warehouse projects. “The problem faced by the warehouse industry is a shortage of skilled labour, particularly in the west of the country,” claims Robert Dobrzycki. “Because of this developers might turn to Central and Eastern Poland.” At the end of 2017 and early 2018 Panattoni Europe is planning to launch in five pioneering markets, which have not been explored by the industry so far. The developer has announced projects with production and warehouse space and flexible modules in Toruń, Zielona Góra, Opole, Białystok and Kielce. Panattoni will also build its first logistics centre in Romania – Panattoni Park Bucharest West, with a total planned area of around 73,000 sqm.

Going small

The developer is also planning to launch a new product: City Logistics centres will be smaller warehouse centres within large cities. The new format will be used for the last-mile delivery and will be dedicated to small and medium companies, which most often operate in the e-commerce industry. The first few projects will be in Warsaw, Poznań, Łódź and Wrocław. The developer has also announced investments in developing logistics centres in Central Poland, Warsaw area, in Lower and Upper Silesia and Greater Poland as well as its commitment to constructing parks in emerging markets that are developing strongly in Poland. Panattoni Europe started a number of such developments last year, including in Szczecin, Lublin, Rzeszów and Bydgoszcz. “We hope that we will exceed 1 mln sqm of space constructed in 2017,” says Robert Dobrzycki.