"Sustainability and energy self-sufficiency is one of the key areas in which we are actively growing. It would not be possible without our partners and customers who support us in this regard and cooperate with us not only on green innovations. I think it is another milestone on the way to a more sustainable future," comments Tomáš Holomoucký, regional director of DB Schenker for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, on the installation of photovoltaics.
The area of modern industrial premises intended for rent in the Czech Republic reached a total of 11.29 million square meters in the second quarter of this year. A total of 286,600 square meters of new warehouse space was delivered to the market in 19 industrial parks across the country. This is an increase of 95% compared to last year, and 32% compared to the previous quarter. Approximately 83% of the projects were already pre-leased at the time of completion. Data on the market for warehouse and production real estate in the second quarter of 2023 is provided in a regular report by the Industrial Research Forum (IRF).
Manufacturing companies have a growing share of industrial real estate leases in the Czech Republic. These are gradually replacing the demand from logistics companies or tenants associated with retail, especially e-commerce. In the second quarter of 2023, leases to manufacturers accounted for 60% of the total of 266,443 square meters that were newly contracted. If extended leases are included, the volume of closed lease transactions in the second quarter reached 567,445 square meters, which is 50% more than in the previous quarter. The data result from a fresh analysis by the real estate consulting company 108 Agency.v
Zásilkovna put into operation a new depot, which has an area of 11,844 square meters and is located in the GLP Park Brno Holubice complex. The main goal is to increase the efficiency of pickups and deliveries in the area of South Moravia. Employees here handle over 1.7 million shipments per month, in high season it will be up to 2.5 million shipments per month. The total investment in the largest depot of Zásilkovna in Moravia reached 17.2 million crowns.
In the first quarter of this year, 218,000 square meters of industrial space were completed in the Czech Republic. This is 21 percent more than the previous five-year average for the same period. However, increased construction still barely covers demand, which has an impact on rising rents. It grew by 30 percent last year. There are 11 million square meters of commercially leasable space in the Czech Republic, and another 1.3 million square meters are currently under construction. This was reported by the consulting company Colliers, which focuses on real estate investments, in its analysis.
The Czech industrial real estate market is for the most part dominated by a few large players who have historically not been interested in renting units smaller than 2,000 square meters. A solid tenant, who was looking for quality warehouse and logistics space, had to rent in older buildings, of poorer quality and with higher energy requirements. But this is now changing thanks to a new trend where a number of industrial developers are starting to build small business units (SBUs) near big cities, which are of high quality and meet demanding energy standards and can range in size from 300 to 800 square meters .
The Kokiskashop online store has grown from a small warehouse in a family home near Karlovy Vary to a turnover of 200 million. The technologically advanced distribution center in Panattoni Park Ostrov North will provide the company with another opportunity for growth not only in the Czech Republic, but also abroad. The development company Panattoni ensured the construction of the hall with many sustainable elements on the brownfield site of the former Škoda Ostrov company. The investor and owner of the building is the Accolade investment group.
The industrial developer UDI Group ceremoniously opened the completed logistics complex Sázava Logistics Park on the D1 highway near Ostředek. The construction of the complex, which offers 50,000 square meters of space, required an investment of one billion crowns. Around 300 employees found work here in four operations.
