Global logistics company Hellmann Worldwide Logistics is strengthening its position in the Czech Republic. At one of the largest industrial parks in the country, CTPark Bor, the company is expanding its total warehouse space. Besides the existing 20,000 sqm site that Hellmann currently operates, an additional area of almost 12,000 sqm will be added by the end of the year. Hellmann uses the CTPark Bor for worldwide distribution but with a strong focus on the German market.

CTP has acquired 95,000 sqm of buildings from Australian company Cromwell Property Group, representing the largest transaction on the Romanian logistics market in 2020.  With this acquisition, the company expands CTPark Bucharest, thus reaching over 500,000 sqm of rentable space, occupied by over 100 customers. This acquisition aligns with CTP's strategy to create business communities and parks with complex infrastructure, thus supporting residents' businesses.

Ehlebracht, an international company with a production site in Michalovce, is moving to ctPark Košice. Construction on the 8,916 sqm hall should start this November with handover scheduled for the end of 2021. The production enlargement will bring 60 to 80 new jobs to the region.

CTP has inaugurated a new logistics centre in ctPark Bucharest West for one of the largest retail companies in Romania. Started in December 2019 and finished in September 2020, the new warehouse for Profi Romania became operational only one month after the completion of construction. The warehouse has a total area of ​​56,500 sqm, which can be extended by another 10,000 sqm. CTP’s investment in the project was €29 million (RON 140 million).

CTP has expanded its Aš industrial park by acquiring building plots and a production facility. At CTPark Aš there are now two fully-leased halls, with a total area of almost 35,000 sqm. The completed park will offer clients a further 45,000 sqm of production space.

The gross lettable area of industrial locations operated by CTP has passed 6 million square meters. The growth has continued due to long term trends of increasing e-commerce and supply chain relocations, supported by the COVID-19 crisis.

CTP announced its expansion plans for the Transylvania area. The developer plans to double the leasable area of ​​logistics spaces in the Transylvania region until 2023 by investments of €50 million in the expansion of its two logistics parks around Timișoara. Some of the spaces included in the construction plan are already leased to companies from the logistics and manufacturing sectors.

Tyre manufacturer Nexen Tire Europe is expanding its activities near Žatec. Besides its plant in the Triangle Strategic Industrial Zone, the company will lease from CTP an additional large warehouse at the neighbouring ctPark Žatec, from March 2021. The 12,000 m2 Central Distribution Warehouse will be constructed for supplying the whole European market with tyres manufactured by Nexen for passenger and commercial vehicles.

In the first half of this year, CTP Group recorded a profit of €99 million with gross rental income reaching €152 million during the period. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, in the second quarter of this year CTP Group recorded an increase in rental income, which reached €72 million, a 16% year-on-year increase. CTP Group was also able to sign new long-term leases for 345 thousand sqm signed in 1H 2020.

Even though logistics is the real estate sector least affected by the current economic downturn, tenants are still looking to cut costs and this is what landlords need to respond to. Ana Dumitrache, Country Head at CTP Romania, who will be a speaker at our upcoming SEE Property Forum 2020 in Bucharest, talked to us about how COVID-19 has impacted the company’s operations, what tenants are looking for and how an ambitious expansion strategy can be executed.