Panattoni’s modern new logistics building enables the expansion of Europe’s largest specialist retail chain of pet food and accessories. The new site is being developed in Neuruppin, Brandenburg, Germany. With the compliance of high sustainability standards in ecological and social aspects, the developer is striving for platinum certification from the DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council). Construction works have started beginning of November and completion is scheduled for July 2023.
Panattoni, the leading project developer for industrial and logistics properties in Europe, is developing a new site for another regional warehouse for the Fressnapf Group, Europe’s largest specialist retail chain for pet food and accessories. The new building is being developed in Neuruppin, Brandenburg, Germany, and will bring the total number of Fressnapf logistics sites in Europe to eight.
Panattoni will build the user-specific build-to-suit (BTS) property on a site measuring around 83,000 m2. This includes a total usable space of approx. 47,500 m2, with some 31,700 m2 of warehouse and technical space, 13,800 m2 of mezzanine storage space, and 1,700 m2 of office and social space. The new building is being developed as a cross-dock with a height of 12.20 m (up to bottom of girders) and with more than 100 dock levellers. In addition, there are 24 m deep intermediate floors on both sides as mezzanine storage, which will be used as further picking and workstations for additional services (value added services). Along with a block storage area, a high-bay racking system with more than 23,000 pallet spaces will be built to provide sufficient space for storing cans, feed bags and snacks for Fressnapf’s animal customers.
The new Fressnapf site is being developed on the last plot in the established commercial and industrial estate Treskow I, which has a direct connection to the city centre and is only a short drive away from the A24 federal autobahn, close to Berlin’s orbital motorway. Fressnapf will benefit from this strategic location for supplying markets in the north and east of Germany, as well as in Poland and Scandinavia.
Christian Buschmann, Vice President Warehouse Operations, provided the following comments on the new building: “The new regional warehouse takes into account the growth of the Fressnapf Group, especially in Denmark and Poland, and will enable faster delivery to our markets in the north and east of Germany. On top of this is the aspect of economic and ecological sustainability through efficient use of the logistics network, which will reduce both freight costs and CO2 emissions. We would like to thank Panattoni for the cooperation based on partnership and we are looking forward to soon being able to put our new location in Neuruppin into operation.”
As part of property development, Fressnapf and Panattoni are both focussing on sustainability in a special way. Panattoni is striving for a platinum certification from the DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council), and thus is implementing a comprehensive package of measures in the areas of ecology and social aspects in close cooperation with Fressnapf, including static PV pre-fitting (photovoltaics) and rainwater cisterns that are used for service water and irrigation of the outdoor facilities. Modern VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) technology ensures fossil-free heating for the entire building. In addition, well-being areas with wild orchards and flower meadows are being created for staff, and nesting boxes for birds are to be installed. Charging stations for cars and bicycles will further expand e-mobility in the region. The developer is also focusing on installing intelligent building systems, such as digital meters (smart metering) and movement and dimming functions of the LED lighting indoors and, partially, outdoors.
The project is being developed in close cooperation with the town of Neuruppin, local authorities and the district's regional nature conservation authorities. Among other things, the relocation of sand lizards and the creation of a new replacement habitat as well as the dismantling of an earth wall were the focus of the preliminary consultations.
Nico Ruhle, Mayor of Neuruppin, birthplace of novelist and poet Theodor Fontane, expressed his satisfaction at the new site: “The decision by Panattoni and Fressnapf in favour of Neuruppin as a business location once again underlines the function of our town as a central supply area for the entire northwest Brandenburg region. Business owners can find good conditions for their companies here, and their employees will have excellent conditions to work in. In addition to good support for entrepreneurs from our local business development agency, a well-developed cultural, educational, social and administrative infrastructure is increasingly becoming one of the great advantages of the site’s location. I am very pleased that our efforts to attract new businesses have contributed to Fressnapf, a company that operates throughout Europe, enriching our location and providing interesting employment opportunities for people from Neuruppin or even attracting new citizens to our region. I would like to thank Panattoni for the trust and balanced decision-making that made the project possible in the first place, and I wish every success to all parties involved!”
“In the context of the overall economic situation, the development of the BTS logistics site for Fressnapf is a clear sign of the importance and attractiveness of investments in logistics properties. There is still reason for our clients to expand and we help them to do so as a reliable partner with a strong network and expertise in logistics property development. We would like to thank the Fressnapf company for their excellent and open cooperation as well as the town of Neuruppin, the business development agency InKom Neuruppin and the district as the licensing authority for their support,” said Fred-Markus Bohne, Managing Partner at Panattoni Germany and Austria.
Construction in the form of earthworks and drainage works commenced in early November 2022, with completion scheduled for July 2023. The partial planning permission has already been granted and the demolition and re-filling of the earth wall have begun. Above-ground construction will start in spring 2023.
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