With the joint development of a modern food hub at the Güterverkehrszentrum (GVZ) Bremen [Bremen Freight Centre], the industrial, logistics and commercial property developer, Panattoni, and the Nagel Group, one of the leading foodstuffs logistics service providers in Europe, are continuing their successful partnership. The project, with a total surface area of 36,650 m² is planned as a new regional site for the Nagel Group.
Construction at the new site will begin in October 2026 on the 90,510 m2, last contiguous property on the GVZ grounds. The completion and handover are slated for December 2027.
Customised build-to-suit solution
The project, with a total of approximately 29,500 m² of hall space, 5,200 m² of modern office and social spaces and 1,950 m² of mezzanine space is designed as a build-to-suit property, tailored precisely to the requirements of the foodstuffs logistics service provider's requirements. The building characteristics include a cross-dock terminal and a logistics building with temperature-controlled areas for ambient, fresh and ultra-fresh for the storage and transshipment of foodstuffs.
The equipment also includes a representative four-storey side building for offices and a lorry workshop with a car wash, petrol station and comprehensive charging infrastructure for lorries, passenger vehicles and bicycles. 68 lorry and trailer parking spaces will also be built on the site.
Strategic development in Bremen
Lars-Erik Poths, CEO of the Nagel Group, explains, “The new logistics centre in Bremen is an investment in the future of the foodstuffs logistics industry. The new site will unite state-of-the-art logistics processes with a sustainable energy concept and will create a foundation for further growth. At the same time, modern workplaces will be created in one of the most important logistics regions in Germany.”
Fred-Markus Bohne, Managing Partner at Panattoni DACH & Nordics, region, says, “The project is proof of how important the close cooperation of all involved parties is. It allowed us to develop a concept in the early planning phase that is optimally customised for the Nagel Group’s requirements and which, with its economic alignment and high sustainability standards, was able to convince the Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen [Economic Development Agency] and the involved parties from the city.”
Kristina Vogt, Senator for the Economy, Ports and Transformers, welcomes the investment. “Our freight centre is Germany’s leading freight centre and has also been top ranked in Europe since 2020. The project development being pursued at the site now clearly shows how in demand the site still is. Around 400 new jobs will be created here, many of them in the training sector. And, with its own solar energy and fossil fuel-free heating, the project also sets standards with regard to climate protection. Precisely these kinds of new sites show how economic power and transformation go hand-in-hand.”
Andreas Heyer, Chair of the Board of Directors at WFB Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen GmbH, says, “This commercial property at the GVZ is unique in many ways and we have found a property developer and user for the site that, with their effort, will contribute long-term to the success story of the GVZ and Bremen as an economic site."
With its new site, the Nagel Group is strengthening its presence in Northern Germany. Around 400 new jobs are expected to be created at the future site, including 20 positions for trainees.
Pioneering energy supply
The overall energy concept plays a central role in the development of the logistics hub at the GVZ Bremen. The use of a power store in combination with photovoltaics systems is planned to supply the site with energy. The storage battery allows for temporary storage of solar energy generated on site and its as-needed use. Due to its safe, low-maintenance and scalable technology, and the use of primarily recyclable raw materials without rare earths, it supports the sustainable and reliable supply of energy. Heat is generated without fossil fuels via a heating and air conditioning system with integrated building technology. The goal is to obtain a DGNB [German Association for Sustainable Construction] gold certification.
Investment in a European logistics site
Thanks to its trimodal connection via road, rail and water, the GVZ Bremen is one of the most powerful logistics sites in Europe. The immediate proximity to the A281 federal motorway and short distances to the A1 and A27 federal motorways, the proximity to the Bremen Airport and easy access to Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven and Hamburg via the second-largest seaport in Germany and an inland port create ideal conditions for national and international supply chains.
