Italy has been experiencing a boom in logistics real estate for several years now. Not only due to the dynamic development of e-commerce but also due to the tenants of existing space looking for more modern and environmentally-friendly facilities.
Panattoni is the largest developer of modern industrial and warehouse space in Europe, present in the continent's most important logistics markets - e.g. German, French, English, Spanish, Polish, Swedish and Dutch, currently establishes a solid team in Southern Europe, Italy.
- "The Italian market has been developing very dynamically in recent years. In 2021, nearly 2.5 million sqm of space was leased, which is the highest figure in Italian market history. This is primarily the result of strong demand for modern and technologically advanced logistics facilities, available off-the-shelf. It is something that is at the heart of our offer to customers. The Italian market is also being driven, like other logistics markets, by the rapid development of e-commerce and the implementation of online sales and home delivery networks by players in the retail market. Its growth potential in this respect is enormous" - explains Robert Dobrzycki, CEO and Co-Owner of Panattoni.
As recently as 2019. Italy was one of the countries with the lowest penetration of online sales - it reached just 5% of retail sales value. CBRE predicts that this share will double by 2024, with e-commerce revenues reaching EUR 22.3 billion.
Italians are betting on eco. In total, around 2 million sqm of new space was delivered in Italy throughout 2021, one in four of which was speculative. The country's total warehouse and industrial stock exceeded 22 million sqm.
- "There is a strong trend in Italy for tenants to move from old logistics facilities to more modern and environmentally friendly ones. Panattoni's offer fits in perfectly with these expectations. Especially, that we are one of the few to offer a standard environmental certification of its facilities in the BREEAM system at Very Good level. For tenants, this means that such an investment meets high ecological criteria and is user-friendly. Moreover, the operational costs are lower, thanks to reduced water and energy consumption and lower emissions of harmful substances" - says Jean-Luc Saporito, who has taken up the position of Managing Director of Panattoni's Italian subsidiary. He will be responsible for developing Panattoni's speculative and Build-To-Suit projects in Italy, with a particular focus on the e-commerce market.
Jean-Luc Saporito joined Panattoni from P3 Logistic Parks where he was Chief Development Officer, overseeing the development activities in France, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Italy. Before that, as Managing Director for P3 Italy, he doubled the size of the portfolio in Italy thanks to new turnkey projects delivered to prestigious clients such as Lamborghini, Ducati and Amazon.
During his past tenures, he developed over 1 million sqm of logistic space in Southern Europe. For most of his career, Jean-Luc worked in various Fortune 500 companies such as Amazon, Procter & Gamble and Hewlett Packard. He is a Mechanical Engineer and has an MBA from Insead.
Marco Zorzetto joined Panattoni Italy with the responsibility of business origination, development and deal structuring. He brings 18 years of experience in Real Estate and distressed situations developed across fund management, asset management and banking in several asset classes (logistics, office, alternative and NPLs). Previously to Panattoni, Marco worked in Aedes, GE Real Estate, KPMG and Savills IM with senior roles in Italy, the UK, and the USA. Marco holds the ability to structure and deliver complex RE development projects in a timely manner and with an analytical mindset.
He graduated with top marks in Business & Administration in “L. Bocconi” University in Milan, in 2004.
Christian Caye has been appointed as Head of Construction at Panattoni, Italy. He has overall 25 years of experience in the Construction industry. Christian spent the last five years at Amazon EU, leading the design and construction of Fulfilment Centres projects, either green or brownfield, in Italy, France, Germany, and Poland for a work's value of over 1billion EUR.
Previously, Christian worked in France and Italy for major General Contractors and Engineering companies on large civil and industrial infrastructure projects. He holds an M.Sc. of Civil Engineering from INSA Lyon, France and is a Chartered Engineer in France and Italy.
Riccardo Paulotto has taken up the position of Director of Structured Finance and Operations at Panattoni. Previously, he spent 6 years as Head of Structured Finance in Statuto Group, one of the leading Italian real estate groups active in the luxury hotels, retail and F&B sector. He started his career in Prelios Group (formerly Pirelli Real Estate), working there for 10 years, and became Head of Finance of Prelios S.G.R. S.p.A.
He has over 16 years of experience in finance and real estate. Riccardo has structured and managed debt transactions (Facility Agreement, Bond Issuance and Securitized SPV) with over Euro 4 billion of debt. His background is in economics and finance – he studied at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Sassari. Riccardo holds a Master in Corporate Strategy (MISA) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from SDA Bocconi.
Gaia Manetti has also joined the team as Office Assistant.
Gaia has a degree in Foreign Languages for Business from the Catholic University of Milan. In her role she will be responsible for the administrative management of the Milan headquarter, supporting the team in all ordinary office management activities.
