GARBE Industrial Real Estate has started a new 23,880m² build-to-suit production facility and head office for Dutch smart energy solutions supplier Alfen at the De Vaart business park in Almere, following the purchase of a strategically located 33,196m² land site. The acquisition was made on behalf of GLIF Plus III, a Luxembourg-based, pan-European investment fund for logistics and light industrial properties, and represents the first Dutch ‘develop to hold' asset for the vehicle. Alfen has signed a long-term lease for the entire development.
Jakko van Wijk, Development Director at GARBE Industrial Real Estate, said: “This is a perfect example of the interdisciplinary package of services GARBE is able to offer, encompassing the full real estate value chain cycle from development, investment, to asset management. We are pleased to welcome Alfen as our tenant, a home-grown leader in its field, operating at the very heart of the energy transition underway in Europe and for whom the development represents a platform for its further expansion.”
“We are pleased to mark a significant milestone in Alfen’s business growth as we celebrate the opening of our new building in Almere,” said Marco Roeleveld, CEO of Alfen. “Alfen is at the heart of Europe’s energy transition. Our electric charging stations, energy storage solutions and transformer houses are vital to limiting the adverse effects of climate change. When completed, this new building will be three times as big as our largest building today – almost the size of five football fields – and will house office, production and warehouse space to support our customers’ growing electricity needs.”
The development comprises 23,880m² of GLA, 353 parking spaces, and is targeting a high ESG score through BREEAM Certification and an A+++ energy label. Solar panels will be installed on the roof and existing (waste) materials will be recycled during the construction process. LED lighting will also be installed and the facility will use heat pumps for heating and cooling. The contractor for the development is De Vries en Verburg. Construction has now started and delivery is scheduled for Q1 2024. Almere is located about 30 kms from Amsterdam and ranks as the fourth largest logistics hotspot in the Netherlands. The De Vaart business park has good access to major motorways including the A6 and A27 and Amsterdam is only 25 minutes away by road.
