The international real estate investment manager Savills Investment Management (Savills IM) has completed forward funding for a new logistics building in the Schiphol area in the Netherlands on behalf of a German institutional investor. The seller of the property is the developer AM, the construction is being carried out by Bouwbedrijf Aan de Stegge. This is the second transaction under the investment mandate to build a European logistics portfolio. The focus is on high-quality core properties in established prime logistics locations. The first acquisition was a newly built logistics center in Hamburg-Billbrook, which was added to the portfolio at the end of 2024.
Along with Tilburg, Rotterdam and Venlo, the Schiphol site is one of the most sought-after logistics hotspots in the Netherlands. The close proximity to Schiphol Airport and the port of Amsterdam ensures sustained high demand. The property itself is being built as a state-of-the-art new logistics building with around 45,000 sqm of rental space, above-average construction quality and flexible usage options. The new building will be built using sustainable building materials and will be equipped with a photovoltaic system on the roof surfaces so that tenants can use the electricity generated on site. The property is striving for BREEAM Excellent certification. The project is located in Schiphol Trade Park, the first business park in the Netherlands with a BREEAM area certification. Completion of the distribution center is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027. A first lease agreement with the logistics service provider Van der Helm Logistics has already been signed.
"Now is a good time to invest countercyclically. Although there are isolated site consolidations of individual logistics tenants, the long-term fundamentals of the logistics sector remain robust. We continue to see structurally high demand for the right properties in the right locations. With the forward funding of the project at Schiphol, we secured a high-quality core logistics property at a first-class logistics location in one of the most stable and highest-demand markets in Europe at an early stage. The project convinces with its excellent connections, high space flexibility and strong ESG quality – making it an ideal fit for the long-term core strategy of our institutional investor," says David Seydt, Associate Director, Fund Management at Savills IM.
"The Dutch logistics market is one of the most active, established and liquid markets in Europe. It benefits in particular from its strategic location in the immediate vicinity of Europe's largest consumer markets as well as from an excellently developed transport and infrastructure. The ports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam as well as Schiphol Airport act as central European gateways for the movement of goods. Schiphol is also considered one of the leading air freight hubs in Europe. A large part of the logistics activities are concentrated along the main transport corridors that connect these hubs with the European hinterland. We are continuously on the lookout for precisely such high-quality logistics properties in strategically relevant locations," adds Marcel Fleminks, Co-Head Netherlands at Savills IM.
Savills IM was advised on the forward funding by Loyens & Loeff and Luther (legal/tax), Savills BPC (technical) and JLL (underwriting).
