Montea has signed a long-term lease with JD.com, China's largest retailer by revenue, for approximately 50,000 m² at Park De Hulst in Willebroek, one of the most sought-after logistics addresses in Belgium. The warehouse, previously home to Decathlon, becomes JD.com's new Belgian logistics hub and marks the group's newly established direct presence in the country.
Developed in 2017 and comprising 47,600 m² of GLA, the building is Montea's largest single warehouse and ranks among the ten biggest assets in its entire portfolio. Sitting between the A12 and E19 motorways and close to both the Brussels-Scheldt waterway and the Willebroek container terminal, the site occupies a rare strategic position between Antwerp and Brussels, exactly the kind of connectivity that has made large-scale, well-located logistics space almost impossible to find in Belgium.
JD.com combines retail operations with an extensive logistics network and advanced supply chain solutions, and its move into Willebroek extends a European footprint that already spans the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Belgium and Luxembourg. Through JD Logistics, its logistics arm, the group intends to equip the warehouse with a high degree of automation, tailored to the fast storage, processing and distribution of online orders, supporting its e-commerce expansion across Belgium and Luxembourg.
Xavier Van Reeth, Country Director Belgium at Montea, said: "This agreement confirms that scarce, high-quality locations in Belgium continue to be in strong demand. The Willebroek site combines a sustainable equipped warehouse with an exceptional location between the A12 and E19 motorways, close to the Brussels-Scheldt and the Willebroek container terminal. This makes the site particularly well suited to support the further expansion of e-commerce and fulfilment activities."
The timing is notable. Since 1 July 2026, the EU has scrapped its long-standing duty-free threshold for parcels under €150, replacing it with a flat customs charge per item that makes shipping directly from China to individual European consumers considerably more expensive. The platforms most exposed, including Temu and Shein, have responded by racing to build local EU warehousing so that stock can clear customs once in bulk rather than duty by duty at the consumer's door, and JD.com's direct, large-scale commitment in Willebroek fits squarely within that same shift from cross-border shipping to EU-based fulfilment, a trend that is now one of the more significant demand drivers behind Europe's tightest logistics markets.
Montea NV is a listed real estate company under Belgian law (GVV/SIR) specialising in logistics property across Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Germany. As at 31 March 2026, its portfolio comprised a total lettable area of 2,375,726 m² spread across 124 locations, and the company has been listed on Euronext Brussels (MONT) and Euronext Paris (MONTP) since the end of 2006.
People mentioned
- Xavier Van Reeth – Country Director Belgium, Montea
Companies mentioned
- Montea – landlord, listed Belgian logistics real estate company
- JD.com – tenant, China's largest retailer by revenue
- JD Logistics – JD.com's logistics arm, will operate the Willebroek hub
- Decathlon – previous occupier of the Park De Hulst warehouse
- Euronext – exchange group where Montea is listed in Brussels (MONT) and Paris (MONTP)
Image Source: Montea
