Groundbreaking ceremony for the Panattoni Campus Cologne East on the former chocolate factory site
With the groundbreaking ceremony on 9 June, the logistics, industrial and commercial real estate developer will first start construction of the City Dock® Köln Ost. Construction of Panattoni Park Cologne East will begin in late summer 2026. Completion of both building complexes is scheduled for 2027.
The campus concept connects the logistics property with a total area of around 33,200 m2, divided into 29,750 m2 of hall space, 1,490 m2 of office space and 1,990 m2 of mezzanine space and a clear building height of 12.20 m, with the business park, which will have 10 units with a total area of 12,450 m2 and a clear building height of 8 m.
Due to the different space concepts, different user requirements can be mapped at one location. The smaller units of the City Dock® are designed to meet the needs of SMEs, tradespeople and start-ups. Larger logistics, industrial and production companies will find suitable space in Panattoni Park, which is directly opposite. The two property complexes share a common internal underground courtyard, so that the outdoor areas are used efficiently and noise pollution is shielded from the outside.
The project is being implemented in accordance with high sustainability standards and is aiming for DGNB Platinum certification. The roof area equipped with a PV system and the reuse and storage of rainwater ensure resource-saving operation.
New economic impulses for the Cologne Metropolitan Region
The future user groups from logistics, industry, production and commerce, but also SMEs and start-ups will benefit from the exposed location. The Cologne metropolitan region and the region on the right bank of the Rhine are optimally connected to the Panattoni Campus Cologne East with its direct proximity to the A4 and short distances to the A3, A59 and A559. Cologne-Bonn Airport is 9 km away. The Cologne-Eifeltor freight transport centre, which is important for logistics throughout Germany, is also only a few kilometres away. This makes it possible to integrate the site into multimodal logistics processes.
KölnBusiness Wirtschaftsförderung has closely accompanied the project. Dr. Manfred Janssen, Managing Director of KölnBusiness Wirtschaftsförderungs-GmbH: “With around 4,600 logistics and trading companies and almost 80,000 employees, Cologne is one of the most important logistics locations in Germany. With the Cologne East Campus, Panattoni is once again investing in our city and is developing a modern, sustainable commercial campus with flexibly usable space for logistics, trade, crafts and start-ups from a piece of Cologne’s industrial history. The project is another example of how we can reuse existing industrial sites in order to promote Cologne as a business location.”
Fred-Markus Bohne, Managing Partner Panattoni DACH & Nordics, explains: “The cooperation with KölnBusiness for this development was and remains particularly close. Our mission: a mix of commercial, light industrial and logistics – for the Stollwerck site and thus for the entire region on the right bank of the Rhine. The former industrial site holds a lot of potential for this. What was already an economic engine for the city with the chocolate factory will again offer added value for the economy of Cologne and optimal growth opportunities for regional, national and international companies in the future.”
A site with historical significance
The Stollwerck chocolate factory has been closely linked to the history of the Rhine metropolis since the 1830s. Economically, the historic production facilities on the left bank of the Rhine and later also on the right bank of the Rhine made an important contribution. Since the 1970s and until 2005, chocolate was produced for the world market in the Westhoven district of Porz. Until 2015, product development and administration were still located there. Since then, large parts of the office space have been rented. Other buildings and the grounds served as a filming location for WDR and as a backdrop for the Cologne Tatort, the former administration building became the TV presidium. As part of the construction preparations, existing commercial halls and office buildings on the Stollwerck site were dismantled.
Hackenberg & Co. GmbH was mandated as a broker for the sale of the land as part of the transaction and accompanied the sales process.
The rental space is marketed by Logivest NRW GmbH.
