Part of its strategy to expand its local operations, DB Schenker Romtrans has leased 5,200 sqm of warehouse space in Phoenix Logistics Center. The transport and logistics company is part of the giant DB Schenker, one of the world’s logistics and transportation providers which bought Romtrans, the largest Romanian transports company, in 2008.
Phoenix Logistics Center is owned by Aviva Investors who acquired the property in 2004. The warehouse is located in Bucharest at the intersection of A1 highway and the Western ring road and provides total logistics facilities of 22,000 sq m including offices. A1 highway is the Pan European Corridor IV linking the major Black Sea port of Constanta to Hungary and Serbia via Bucharest. Aviva Investors has a portfolio of 200,000 sq m in Eastern Europe including assets in Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary etc.
Other tenants include Lidl Distribution Center, Otter Logistics, Avon and Pepsi Americas, Carrefour hypermarket, Militari Shopping Center (Praktiker, Domo), ACT Cold Storage, Peugeot, Volvo etc.
DB Schenker Romtrans leased the space through Jones Lang LaSalle.
The Romanian logistics market in 2012
Referring to the local logistics market in 2012, Irina Iliescu, senior consultant with Jones Lang LaSalle said that “the new logistics developments will continue to be custom-built, very little speculative development in Bucharest area and at country level, due to lack of financing. Several new developers are expected to commence build-to-suit projects in Bucharest, Timisoara, Pitesti and Ploiesti”.
She added that headline rent levels for Bucharest are expected to remain stable with a soft decreasing trend in H2 2012, in the EUR 3.5 – 4.15 range, with a vacancy rate dropping to 11-12 percent at Bucharest level. “We believe that the occupiers will become more selective regarding their logistics locations, due to the infrastructure issues,” Iliescu concluded.
Simona Bazavan