New users in the Netherlands
Logistics properties located within the perimeter of the port of Rotterdam remain in strong demand. In April there were no less than three transactions involving such facilities. Two investment companies enlarged their portfolios in the process, and Lidl, in turn, rented new space to manage the distribution of foodstuffs and non-food articles.
The Netherlands remains an attractive location for logistics facilities for large corporations. Early in April the German supermarket chain Lidl rented two distribution centres in Moerdijk from the Dutch real estate developer DHG. The two logistics buildings cover approximately 43,000 m² of warehousing space, 4,700 m² of mezzanine space and another 350 m² of office space. Lidl has rented the facilities for a period of ten years and will use them to store foodstuffs as well as a number of non-food articles.
What tipped the scales in favour of the location of Moerdijk was its central position just south of Rotterdam, and the opportunity of adding compounds to the first tranche in the medium term. DHG is planning to develop further properties covering 50,000 m² there; they are expected to be completed this year.
The investment company Aviva Investors is another major player that recently extended its portfolio in the Netherlands. It was acted for one of its clients when it bought a logistics centre in the Maasvlakte Distripark, at the heart of the port of Rotterdam. It was sold by the Euro-Rijn Group. The property consists of two logistics gateways covering a total of approximately 40,000 m²; it too offer the concomitant office space.
An important logistics interface
George Fraser-Harding, Aviva Investors’ manager of real estate investments, said that “the acquisition of this facility extends our presence in one of Europe’s most important logistics interfaces.” In November 2019 Aviva Investors already purchased two Dutch logistics assets in Waalwijk and Waddinxveen.
The investment firm Edmond de Rothschild is another international player that has recognised the intrinsic value of investing in Dutch logistics properties. Its real estate division has acted on this assessment by buying a logistics complex in Bleiswijk, north of Rotterdam. The buildings are situated in the Prisma business park, which offers direct access to the national motorway network, specifically its Den Haag–Gouda stretch. The 8,500 m² have been rented to one user.
Good access to the motorway network
René de Heus, the head of investment in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg for Edmond de Rothschild’s real estate unit, said the move fits into his firm’s portfolio, as “the fund concentrates on objects that are near large cities and have good access roads.”