Gazeley Properties - Industrial Sale - Germany, Magna Park Berlin

Date: 04 Oct 2001

Gazeley Properties is set to roll out its Magna Park brand in mainland Europe, with a development in Germany. The top UK specialist distribution developer has announced the purchase of a 50 hectare (123 acres) site near Berlin from WSF for a dedicated logistics park to be known as Magna Park Berlin. The £130 million (690m DM) scheme will be the first of three European Magna Parks planned for the next year.

The Magna Park Berlin site is located - 30km south west of Berlin in the Brandenburg region - close to Potsdam. The site fronts Junction 24 of the A10 (Berliner Ring Road) which gives direct access via the Autobahn links to Hanover (A2), Hamburg (A24) and Lepzig (A9).

Work on a first phase of development is expected to start before Christmas, with the construction of two speculative distribution buildings comprising 7,500 sq m (80,320 sq ft) and 13,000 sq m (140,000 sq ft) respectively. Quoting rents will be 13DM per sq m per month.

Magna Park Berlin will mirror Gazeley's successful Magna Park site in Lutterworth, Leicester - Europe's largest dedicated distribution park. Magna totals 222 hectares (550 acres) and in excess of 465,000 sq m (5 million sq ft) of accommodation has been developed with a landbank capable of providing a further 185,800 sq m (2 million sq ft) of development.

A range of blue chip occupiers now provide in excess of 5,000 jobs. Those that have been attracted to the UK park include Asda, TNT Retail Express, Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Lidl, Aiwa, Britvic, BSS, British Telecom, Shell, P&O, CML and the Disney Store.

And, just like at Magna Park in Lutterworth, where Gazeley have just completed a fully fitted 20,900 sq m (225,000 sq ft) distribution warehouse for TNT in under 12 weeks, Gazeley is also rolling out its revolutionary FastTrack concept in Europe. Purpose-built distribution facilities will be available at Magna Park Berlin in as little as 10/12 weeks from initial commitment should customers require it.

Commenting on the site purchase, John Duggan, chief executive of Gazeley Properties said: "We have spent the last year researching the European market to establish where the key areas are for Pan European logistics hubs. We have met with numerous logistic operators to confirm the customers view on the identified cities. Berlin come out as one of the top locations in Germany as it serves both national and international markets."

Gazeley Business Development Director, Ian Worboys added:

"We have long harboured ambitions to roll the Gazeley approach out into Europe, but it was essential to find the right site to launch this phase of our expansion. Magna Park Berlin offers just that opportunity. Its location in respect of the autobahn network is unrivalled and yet it is an area where there is a demonstrable shortage of modern, flexible distribution space and little competition. We are delighted with the purchase and confident that Magna Park Berlin will emulate the success of its UK parent and provide the perfect stepping stone for further Gazeley distribution parks in Europe."

Jones Lang LaSalle, Berlin acted for Gazeley in the purchase of the site and have been retained as letting agents.

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