Panattoni Europe has commenced the biggest construction project in the market this year. It is the central warehouse for Castorama Polska with 50,000 m² of space. The facility will be one of the largest in the market and is being erected in Stryków - the developer's strategic location.
Castorama Polska, the country's largest chain of home improvement and construction hypermarkets, the so-called DIY sector, owned by the UK-based retailer Kingfisher plc, is putting its plans of intensive growth and expansion in motion. The investment in Stryków will be used by its tenant as a modern logistics center, with a warehouse section accounting for as much as approx. 49,220 m² adapted for the purposes of effectively managing supplies from various sources. The remaining section of more than 780 m² will serve as modern office space. The transaction was mediated by the real estate firm Colliers International.
Panattoni Europe's project for Castorama Polska is the biggest in the warehousing property sector since the beginning of 2013 and at the same time one of the biggest spaces ever built. These record-breaking projects include: 80,000 m² of total development space for Hennes & Mauritz Sp. z o.o.; a facility dedicated to Tesco featuring 57,000 m², as well as the 56,000 m² logistics center for Leroy Merlin. All of the above were developed by Panattoni Europe, for whom the contract with Castorama Polska is another large-space lease contract with the DIY sector. Project completion is planned for Q1 of 2014.
According to Robert Dobrzycki, Managing Partner for Central and Eastern Europe Panattoni Europe: " This is a very important transaction for us, as well as for the whole sector. It shows growth opportunities not only for the development sector, but also the immense efforts and contribution of Castorama Polska into the success of the DIY sector in Poland." He adds: "The facility for Castorama Polska is another huge project implemented by Panattoni Europe in the market. It will be erected in Stryków - a location that is strategic for us and our customers as a hub - one of the largest Panattoni distribution centers with more than 100,000 m² of space built and occupied."
Dariusz Barszczewski, Logistics Director at Castorama Polska, said: "As the largest DIY chain in Poland, Castorama must have a logistics center matching its needs. It is an important element of our commercial strategy, which assumes effective management of supplies from various sources and continuous improvement of operational excellence at our stores. The center in Stryków will enable us to optimize warehousing and transportation costs across the supply chain. From the point of view of our customers, it will additionally support the current availability of our extensive product range, always at the best price".
The location of the new investment for Castorama Polska is not random. The tenant's central warehouse will be erected in Stryków - one of the top locations on Poland's warehousing map, where Panattoni Europe's share exceeds 100,000 m² of space developed and fully occupied. The proximity of Łódź, as well as major transportation routes - motorway junction on the A2 (Stryków II), and the road no 71 (Zgierz-Stryków) near the national road no 14 (Warszawa-Łódź) - all mean that the new warehouse will enjoy excellent connections with the rest of the country. At the same time, with Łódź some dozen kilometers way, the facility will be able to tap into the abundant local labor pool.
Source: Panattoni
