Panattoni, the largest developer in Europe, has, for the fifth year in a row, taken first place in PropertyEU magazine’s Top Logistics Developers ranking. In 2018–2020, the company delivered 69 million sq ft of warehouse and industrial space to the market. Panattoni owes its strong position to its expert anticipation of market trends and its rapid response to the economic turmoil brought about by the pandemic. Panattoni has topped PropertyEU’s ranking to secure the title of Top Logistics Developer. The survey ranks the largest European developers according to the amount of warehouse space they build. This year’s list covers the period from 2018 to 2020. During this time, Panattoni delivered to the European markets as much as 69 million sq ft. Robert Dobrzycki, the CEO of Panattoni, said: “Earning the title of the largest developer in Europe for the fifth year in a row shows that our company has clearly been strengthening its position on the European market. It confirms that the development directions we have adopted were obviously the right ones. “A major part in this has been played by the growth of e-commerce, which the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated even further. Automated centres built for this sector already account for 35% of all our projects. The number of ‘last mile’ city parks we have developed in Germany, the UK and Poland is also growing,” he said. “Around 25% of all our projects are highly technologically advanced production facilities. Panattoni specialises in the construction of this type of facility, tailored for a specific client. The disruption to supply chains caused by the pandemic has been leading many companies to consider relocating their manufacturing businesses or parts of them to Europe to be closer to their customers. The Central European markets in which we operate can only benefit from this.” It is not only through an accurate analysis of the market trends that Panattoni’s success has been achieved. The company’s growth has also been fostered by its decision to implement a sustainable development strategy, which has put it at the cutting edge of the environmental changes in the sector. As standard, the company provides warehouse and production facilities with environmental solutions that help to reduce CO2 emissions as well as energy and water consumption, while improving the well-being of the buildings’ eventual employees. The effectiveness of these measures is also confirmed by the company’s policy of obtaining BREEAM certification for each project. In an era when combating climate change is of paramount importance, such an approach is entirely in tune with the expectations of clients. In its more than 15 years of activity on the European market, Panattoni has completed projects with a combined area of ​​more than 129 million sq ft. These include both BTS production facilities and more than 2,152,782 sq ft of specialised centres designed for major e-commerce players. The developer also provides a variety of space in its own parks in logistically attractive locations, including in cities. Panattoni is currently active in, among other markets, the UK, Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Spain and the Netherlands. To view the full article, click here

Panattoni is delivering a 2.3 million sq ft logistics centre in Swindon for a major internet retailer which will be the biggest single-asset logistics letting, and funding deal, ever negotiated in the UK. The building in Swindon occupies a 68-acre site with dual carriageway access five minutes north of the M4 J15. With a footprint of 625,000 sq ft, the building includes three internal, multi-level structural floors totalling 1,642,000 sq ft, 66,000 sq ft of offices on the ground floor and a further 70,000 sq ft of amenity areas. Planning was awarded in August 2020 and the first of 3,500 steel piles were driven a month later. Practical Completion of the BREEAM Excellent rated facility is due Q4 2021. A spokesman from Panattoni said: “The tenant requires the facility to be operational in Q4 2021, to achieve this demands a highly accelerated programme and complex phasing to facilitate fit-out of the MHE. When we acquired the site it already benefited from an outline consent, by bringing forward a separate Reserve Matters application we were able to implement works to construct the development plateau and 45 acres of structural landscaping, wetland and ecological habitat concurrent with the detailed planning application, thereby saving several weeks on over-all duration.” This deal follows on from Panattoni completing the biggest deal in continental Europe for the same client, at Gliwice in Poland. The Gliwice building is also 2.3 million sq ft, spread over four storeys, and boasts one of the most advance fit outs in Europe. Panattoni is this internet retailer’s largest delivery provider in Europe, and currently have globally around 60 – 70 transactions with this party. The need for buildings on the scale of these giants is only going to grow, driven by the demands of online retail. Panattoni are uniquely placed to meet the need for such buildings across Europe and in the UK, with development opportunities in strategic locations across the country, most, like Swindon, with the necessary planning in place to respond quickly to occupier demand. The spokesman added: “The selection of these locations is key to attracting major international businesses, including the biggest retail brands. We acquire sites that offer easy access to the trunk road network and are easy to reach for locally recruited employees. This gives occupiers the strategic reach required for an RDC or NDC while making it easy to recruit the right people. “While all our sites are available for bespoke warehouses, on many of them, we continue to roll out our spec build programme and we remain, by some measure, the biggest spec developer in the UK. “Our proactive approach to land acquisition, combined with our ability to leverage global capital markets, puts us in a uniquely strong position to continue delivering the very large warehouses the modern economy needs,” he said.