Successful reorientation: Panattoni Europe takes stock

Panattoni Europe, logistics real estate developer and investor, draws a positive balance one year after its reorientation in the German market. After the subsidiary of the Panattoni Development Company, one of the leading real estate companies in the USA, repositioned itself with a new strategy and structure in Germany at the beginning of last year, the logistics real estate experts can look back on a busy and successful year and look forward to the future with optimism.

“We are more than satisfied with our new start in Germany,” explains Fred-Markus Bohne, Managing Partner of Panattoni Europe. At the beginning of 2015, together with his colleague Sönke Kewitz, he took over the management of the company, moved into the new head office in the Hafen City district of Hamburg and with a new strategy set a new course for the company’s activities in the logistics real estate market in Germany. With success, as can be seen today. The company is growing and has made a name for itself among customers and investors. Panattoni Europe has developed more than 450,000 square metres of logistics space in Germany for well-known customers such as Dachser, BLG Logistics, Lear Corporation, Faurecia and Jago. During the first year of the company’s reorientation, five projects were completed on schedule, including Huwald Liebschner in Henstedt-Ulzburg, Uponor in Hassfurt and BLG Automotive in Bremen. With the planned logistics complex for the e-commerce company Jago, Panattoni Europe is responsible for a logistics area of over 120,000 square metres in the Industriepark Rurtal near Hückelhoven, currently one of the largest new developments in Germany.

Fred-Markus Bohne explains further, “We see ourselves as an international company with a local focus. For us, proximity to our customers and their projects is just as important as market expertise,” he continued, referring to Panattoni Europe’s other branches in Eastern Europe. With targeted cultivation of local markets, the logistics real estate experts have developed more than 3.3 million square metres of logistics space, and the trend is clearly upward. In Germany, development of 245,000 square metres is currently in progress. “Our plans comprise investments in the three-digit million range in property and build-to-suit projects. We intend to pursue this course further and are confident that we will consolidate and expand our position,” Bohne reports. Six new projects are scheduled for completion in 2016 including the new facilities for BLG Logistics in the port of Düsseldorf, the logistics and international forwarding company F.W. Neukirch in Oyten and the mountain sports equipment supplier Bergfreunde in Rottenburg.

Panattoni Europe’s further strategy also includes expansion of the company’s service portfolio. In future, in addition to the development of greenfield sites, activities will be focused more intensively on brownfields in order to be able to meet demand where there is a shortage of space. Furthermore, increased emphasis will be placed on redevelopment projects and development of classical logistics parks. Max Kreuter joined Panattoni in November 2015 as Managing Director of Capital Markets Germany. He strengthens this area and ensures the drive forward through the expansion of our Investment Partners as well as maintaining good relationships with all of our existing partners.

Panattoni Europe now has four branches and 19 employees in Germany. Two of these branches were opened last year in the course of the repositioning process. Against the background of the growth of the company’s business, this expansion is continuing and recruitment of more new employees is planned in the second and third quarters of this year. “We will continue to grow in Germany and our perspective for the future is to expand into other European countries,” Bohne reveals. The new market presence of Panattoni Europe is backed up by a new digital presence in the internet. The website panattoni.de provides detailed information about the company, its service portfolio and presents current and completed projects.