With around 122,000 sqm of new industrial space under development in Romania, WDP is seeing growing demand across its entire portfolio. Property Forum talked to Gijs Klomp, Business Development Manager at WDP Romania, about the new demand drivers and the investment potential in areas where infrastructure development is accelerating.

The pan-European real estate investment manager will invest in the logistics sector in partnership with White Star Real Estate.

A new 21,000 sqm logistics park is under construction in the town of Valašské Meziříčí, located in the east of the Czech Republic. The third fund of the Arete Group is now starting construction with an investment of over €15 million. According to the investor´s plans, the first tenants will move in by the end of this year, the company reports on logistikadnes.

LogStar, the industrial division of local investor Biggeorge Property, has acquired the WestGate Business Park, an 18,000 sqm industrial facility, from Logicor. The seller was represented by CBRE. The price of the transaction was not disclosed.

Panattoni will develop a third building for Media Expert within the Central European Logistics Hub in Łódź. At the end of January this year, the owner of the store chain was granted early access to the 80,000 sqm centre, which is to be combined with two other existing buildings to form a national distribution complex for Media Expert. All three buildings have a combined area of 233,000 sqm. As well as these buildings in the administrative capital of the region, the chain has also leased 23,000 sqm in Panattoni Park Stryków III.

White Star Logistics, a joint venture between White Star Real Estate and Bain Capital Credit, is commencing the development of a 55,000 sqm logistics center in Raszyn. Within the investment, whose commercialization began at the beginning of the year, three buildings will be constructed in stages. 

A joint venture between Partners Group, a leading global private markets firm and investment manager Peakside Capital Advisors AG with a group of additional third-party co-investors has acquired a portfolio of warehouse properties in capital of Poland. The purchase price is not being disclosed.

The leasing of industrial and logistics spaces in Romania hit a record of 1 million sqm during 2021, with net take-up accounting for 80% of all traded volumes, according to real estate consultancy Cushman & Wakefield Echinox. 

After a very successful 2021, the Polish warehouse market continues to power ahead. In addition to the big five, new well-connected locations are coming up on developers’ radars. The growth of e-commerce continues to drive the construction of greener and more employee-friendly buildings. Challenges facing the market however include rising development costs, shrinking land banks and a dearth of warehouse workers. Newmark Polska asked the most active developers for their market projections.

Panattoni has started an 87,300 sqm BTS facility in Stargard in north-western Poland. The facility will be used by TEDi, a  German retail chain, which has over 2,500 stores in Europe. The project, which should be completed in October this year, will support the further development of TEDi in the country, where the company doubled the number of its outlets in 2021.