Acquisition of Fiege logistics centre: WDP underlines ambitions on the German market

 
- Purchase and long-term leaseback as part of a sale-and-leaseback model with the Fiege Group
- ESG-compliant logistics property with around 61,000 m² of total rental space
- Completion, handover and rental start as early as the end of 2024
- Milestone in WDP's growth strategy for the German market
 

Caption: WDP acquired the logistics centre in Zülpich as part of a sale-and-lease-back transaction from the Fiege Group, which will now continue to use the space as a tenant. Copyright: WDP Germany.

WDP, the pan-European investor, developer and manager of light industrial and logistics properties, has acquired a logistics centre in North Rhine-Westphalia from the Fiege Group, one of Europe's leading logistics service providers, as part of a sale-and-lease-back transaction. The Fiege Group is leasing the property back on a long-term basis and will continue its activities for several customers at the location. With this transaction, WDP is emphasising its strategic goals in the German market in order to continue to grow there.

The property comprises around 61,000 m² of total usable space on a site of just under 100,000 m². This includes 51,159 m² of hall space, divided into five units, as well as 6,130 m² of mezzanine space and 2,840 m² of office and social space. The logistics service provider Fiege will rent the space itself.

The purchase of the logistics centre marks the next milestone for WDP on the German market. The location complements the company's international logistics property portfolio, which already spans many European countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands, Romania, France and Luxembourg.

Modern and sustainable facilities

The acquired property meets state-of-the-art equipment standards and is ideally suited as a pharmaceutical site. All of its five units can be kept at temperatures between 15 °C and 25 °C and are also equipped with WHG seals. In addition, there are a total of 143 car and 17 lorry parking spaces on the site. The property will be certified in accordance with the current version of the DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council) Gold Standard from 2023. It also meets the criteria of the EU taxonomy.

A large-scale photovoltaic system will be installed on the property in the coming months: A 5 MWp full-roof system will cover the building, and 36 car parking spaces will also be covered with PV panels. The property also has a modern energy monitoring system, LED lighting, e-charging points and air-to-air heat pumps for environmentally friendly heating.

Attractive location in the Cologne-Bonn logistics region

The property is located in the Cologne-Bonn logistics region, which is characterised by high demand for logistics space. Thanks to the nearby Cologne/Bonn airport and its proximity to Belgium and the Netherlands, the location in the heart of the border triangle is very well connected to the most important sales markets in Europe. The nearest public transport station and main road are less than one kilometre from the site, while the A1 motorway is eight kilometres away.

"The acquisition marks an important milestone in our activities in Germany, which is a strategically important growth market for WDP," comments Stephan Küper, Business Development Manager at WDP Deutschland GmbH. "Sustainably developed and equipped with modern facilities, the space exemplifies our corporate aspirations: we invest in intelligent, sustainable warehouse and logistics solutions and support our customers holistically as a full-service developer. To this end, we will continue to expand our portfolio at outstanding locations in Germany in the future. We would like to thank everyone involved in the project for their support and cooperation on an equal footing."

The general contractor for the project was Max Bögl, while AJS Architekturbüro Jürgen Schlake acted in an advisory capacity. The commercial law firm GSK Stockmann also provided legal advice to WDP, while Witte Projektmanagement was responsible for the technical due diligence. DNV also supported the project with advice on the photovoltaic system and its purchase.

The logistics centre was completed in November 2024 and the lease commenced in December.

About WDP

WDP is a pan-European investor, developer and manager of logistics and light industrial real estate. With its full-service approach, the company focuses on the development and letting of properties along central logistics corridors in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany and Romania. As the market leader in Benelux and Romania, WDP focuses on long-term partnerships to support its clients' growth strategy with its property solutions.

With a portfolio of over 7.5 million square metres of gross leasable area (GLA) spread across more than 300 high-quality logistics locations in Europe, WDP offers modern and sustainably developed logistics properties. The company's commitment to producing CO₂-neutral energy directly on site with innovative solutions helps to make newly created locations more self-sufficient and support the decarbonisation of customer processes.

WDP was founded in Belgium in 1977 and has been listed on the stock exchange since 1999. WDP has been operating in Germany since 2022.
www.wdp.eu/de
 
Contact: 
WDP Germany | www.wdp.eu
Stephan Küper | +49 (0)175 4042165 | stephan.kueper@wdp.eu
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