“The world is changing rapidly and we’ve reached an inflection point of global trends shaping the future. This is also impacting the industrial real estate sector. Our customers are specifically looking for solutions for the new (last mile) supply chain, which is surprisingly still an undefined and untapped segment. It must (and can) be done in a greener, smarter, and better way. We have to combine forces!
Through commitment to the net zero carbon neutrality challenge, we provide urban real estate that supports the new, CO2 neutral supply chain.
URBZ Capital signs green lease with PostNL for a redevelopment of a last mile hub in Utrecht
On behalf of their capital partner Ivanhoé Cambridge, URBZ Capital (“URBZ”) entered into a long term lease agreement with PostNL for its redevelopment project in Nieuwegein (Plettenburg) the Netherlands. Prior to construction start, the facility is fully let and turns into a BTS in line with the URBZ standard®.
After the renovation program, the facility will comprise approximately 9,700 sqm on a 2 hectares freehold site, transforming an older production facility into a next generation sorting and distribution facility. The new facility will comply with the latest building and ESG standards, including ample docking stations, high office fit-out and significant charging facilities to accommodate the electric fleet.
This asset will become a strategic location for all PostNL healthcare operations in the Netherlands. Critical for PostNL was finding the right building, centrally located in the Benelux, and a solution that is in line with their long-term sustainability ambitions. The construction works will start in the coming weeks and the project is expected to be delivered in Q4 2022.
“The last year we have been working on the plans to transform this asset from an obsolete production plant into a state-of-the-art last mile hub with an intense focus on ESG. At the verge of commencing construction, we are extremely pleased to accommodate PostNL in their growth and welcome them in this facility”, says Bram Verhoeven, managing partner and co-founder at URBZ Capital.
“From a location, functionality and sustainability perspective this facility is a perfect match for our Healthcare operations. Furthermore the charging solutions URBZ is putting in place will help us to develop towards an emission free operation”, says Dimitri Wams, Director Logistics Solutions at PostNL.
URBZ Standard®
URBZ has the ambition to benchmark all of its assets against its URBZ Standard®, which is focused on three key elements: Smart, Social and Sustainability. The URBZ Standard® is a blueprint for existing and newly developed urban facilities which includes a minimum set of requirements modern last mile facilities should comply with. With this concept URBZ aims to put its vision into practise. URBZ sees outsized opportunity to create the next-generation, sustainable and societally accretive, last mile facilities supporting its customers to efficiently build out a CO2-neutral last leg of their supply chain. The Nieuwegein facility is the first renovation URBZ is executing and it is a redevelopment which embodies the philosophy that it stands for.
