Poland’s total industrial stock at the end of Q1 2020 amounted to over 18.95 million sqm (+15% y/y). The quarter’s solid results were driven by steady tenant demand as well as stable rental rates, which despite the growing COVID-19 pandemic maintained their height in most markets. On the investment side, only in Q1 2020, the volume of transactions was comparable with the whole of 2019.

At the end of the Q1 2020, the total supply of modern warehouse space in Poland exceeded the level of 19 million sqm. The Warsaw market (three zones) maintained its leading position and accounted for nearly 23% of the total supply in the country (4.3 million sqm), Colliers International reports.

The industrial market in Poland has been growing at a very quick pace for several years, with record-breaking transaction sizes, new warehouse locations and growing net take-up levels. The focus of analysts is usually on demand as everything starts from tenants looking for warehouse and manufacturing space for their business operations. The warehouse market has been led in recent years by the e-commerce industry, which has been reporting annual growth of over 20%. However, other leading sectors are still logistics and distribution, household appliances, the automotive sector and manufacturing. Experts from Cushman & Wakefield summarised what is the impact of investment funds on the industrial market and why warehouses attract investors.

Panattoni has embarked on a new project, Panattoni Park Tricity East III, totalling close to 33,000 sqm. The park will be completed in a single phase and has already found tenants for more than 26,000 sqm. They are logistics operators: Greenyard Logistics Poland, providing services to the FMCG sector, which will take up close to 12,000 sqm, and Omega Pilzno, specialising in comprehensive supply chain services, with a lease of 14,500 sqm. Project commissioning is anticipated in Q1 2021.

Panattoni has bought 14.8 hectares of land in Central Poland to build Panattoni Park Stryków IV. The project, which will feature 74,000 sqm at full build-out, will be developed at the intersection of the A1 and A2 motorways. Construction kick-off is planned for Q3 2020.

7R, a Polish warehouse developer, is implementing new technology to manage the risks connected with flat roofs. The "Smart Roof" platform, developed by Sense Monitoring, helps to prevent roof overload by alerting the building's manager in advance of potential danger. 7R will apply the system in the 7R Park Gdańsk II logistics complex in Kowale, where a monitored roof will cover over 60,000 sqm of modern warehouse space.

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is providing a green financing package of approximately €205 million to Warehouses De Pauw NV (WDP), a Belgian real-estate investment trust, to support the construction of around 1 million sqm of resource-efficient semi-industrial and logistics properties across Romania. The green financing fits within a larger €750 million financing programme and includes green financing from third-party investors mobilized by IFC under its Managed Co-Lending Portfolio Program and from international commercial banks.  

7R will make its debut on the Lublin market. The planned investment – 7R Park Lublin – will be a complex of modern warehouse facilities located in the industrial part of the city.

Panattoni is building the first modern multi-tenant distribution centre in the Warmia and Mazury region. Panattoni Park Olsztyn, featuring in excess of 36,000 sqm, will be delivered in the Stawiguda commune, in the immediate vicinity of the Olsztyn Południe junction, connecting S51 with S16, approx. 20 km from the S7 route. The project will be implemented in several stages and the first tenants will able to move to in as early as August this year. One of the factors which made the launch of the project possible was the lease by A&E Clothing, an American company specialising in textile recycling, which will take up in excess of 7,500 sqm of office and production space. The deal was negotiated on behalf of the customer by Axi Immo.

Warehouse developer 7R is to build a specialized facility for Cefea – a company dedicated to the manufacturing, distribution and import of pharmaceutical products. The tenant will move into 7R City Flex Warsaw Airport I in July of this year.