It was 2021 when Pavel Rufert, after ten years of working in the industrial and logistics real estate sector, decided to accept Logicor’s offer to form part of their operations in the Czech Republic. He was at the birth of its permanent office in Prague and this December marked three years since he took up the position of Director of the Czech branch. Logicor is a leading owner, manager and developer of European real estate.
As of December 2024, Logicor’s property portfolio comprised more than 19 million sq m of warehouse space at key transport hubs close to major population centres across Europe. These properties and their networked connections enable the seamless movement of goods through the supply chain to consumers on a daily basis. “Thanks to well-thought-out strategic locations, our parks provide services to more than two thousand customers,” says Pavel Rufert, Country Manager of Logicor Czech. Logicor employs over three hundred people in sixteen European countries. Logicor’s domestic team, including external collaborators, currently numbers around three dozen people who have already successfully completed three projects. All three are at the cutting edge of modern business park development.
Late last summer, Logicor completed the construction of Logicor Příšovice business park close to the D10 motorway near Turnov in the Liberec Region. This modern distribution centre, serving mainly the Czech regions north and east of Prague, brought 20,500 sq m of warehouse and production space to the domestic market. In Dobrovíz, which has close proximity to the capital and Václav Havel Airport, the four halls that make up the Logicor Prague Airport project provide nearly 65,000 sq m of warehouse and administrative space. At the end of this year, the Logicor team in the Czech Republic inaugurated the third domestic park. This time they focused their attention on Prague’s metropolitan industrial zone in Hostivař. Here they built the modern logistics and production park Logicor Prague-Průmyslová. The company’s portfolio in the Czech Republic now exceeds 100,000 sq m of industrial and warehouse space.
Sustainability and flexibility first and foremost
“Logicor Prague-Průmyslová park which has just been completed is only five kilometres from the centre of the capital. One of its core strengths is its excellent connection to all key motorways. Thanks to seamless transport accessibility, the location means it’s well located for people who will work here, as well as being an optimal base for companies operating urban logistics, 3PLs, parcel depots and e-shops. It would also suit manufacturer combining their headquarters with a showroom,” says Pavel Rufert. Logicor Prague-Průmyslová is divided into four independent units that can be combined to adapt to changing client needs. It has been designed and built to high sustainability standards in accordance with BREEAM ‘Very Good’ certification. Modern photovoltaic panels are installed on the roofs to generate green electricity. There are also charging stations for electric vehicles and the entire site uses energy-saving LED lighting with a variable DALI system. The facility also includes smart docks with IoT-connected gates and an automated control system that allows these gates to be both monitored and controlled remotely. Smart metering helps to accurately manage and reduce energy consumption throughout the building.People working in the offices have a comfortable environment provided by glass facades with shading systems that let in maximum daylight while saving on air conditioning costs. “We are always thinking about the well-being and safety of all users of our premises. There is convenient access for cyclists, infrastructure for electric vehicles and automatic entrances with licence plate recognition, which ensure smooth and safe traffic,” says P. Rufert. He also lists other advantages of the newly completed business park, adding that the biodiversity of the site is supported by landscaping with plenty of greenery and native plant species.
A spring factory, called Pérovna, once stood on the site of the current Logicor Prague-Průmyslová site in Hostivař. It is therefore a brownfield site. Is it Logicor’s strategy to build on sites that have outlived their purpose?
We assess each project, each location of interest to us individually, so we do not avoid greenfields in principle. However, we consider giving a new lease of life to brownfields to be a step in the right direction. Looking back, all of our completed projects in the country have been brownfields and we would like to continue this trend.
Do you plan to continue to develop your own properties, or are you also interested in buying completed properties?
As far as buying portfolios as such is concerned, if we see potential and space for further development in an already completed project, we are of course interested. However, at the moment, our own developments prevail.
Do you build your projects for a specific tenant or on a speculative basis?
We invest and build in areas that meet our strict criteria – the right location, well connected to key transport routes and with good access to population centres. To date, we have delivered modern, highly sustainable developments on a speculative basis which has enabled us to engage with customers and work with them in time to customize the space for them before construction completion. This strategy has proven correct for our clients and us as well.
Where does Logicor Prague-Průmyslová stand in this respect now?
We completed the site in October this year and at the moment it is about three-quarters leased. The first customer who will start moving in after the New Year is Knihobot. Pending final contracts being signed, we can say that there is now only 5,000 sq m available.
How has the market for logistics and manufacturing space changed during your time in the industry?
The spectrum of users of these projects has broadened, so that today we can definitely no longer talk about pure logistics halls. The Czech market is particularly specific, as it has a high proportion of manufacturing users compared to other Central European countries such as Poland. Over the long-term historical average, they accounted for around thirty percent. Another thirty percent was used by logistics companies and the rest covered by distribution to retail or other sectors. This trend, i.e. the strengthening of demand from manufacturing companies, continues. In the third quarter of this year, it even reached a 59% share of newly leased space. We also see that our customers operations are becoming more sophisticated, the share of automation is increasing and more companies are engaged in value-added activities. Typical examples of these include Stokvis, our Příšovice clients or Knihobot in the newly opened Logicor Prague-Průmyslová park.
How do you react to these changes?
Via thoughtful preparation of halls. The main role is played by the implementation of new technologies, better and more cost-effective hall construction, structural wiring, and high capacity of green energy. We need to be well prepared for progress and new realities, which of course also bring changes in human resources.
What do you mean by that?
As a result of the introduction of new technologies and the automation of production, the structure of the workforce in industrial sites is gradually changing. More and more activities require people with higher or very high qualifications. In addition, the Czech Republic has a low unemployment rate, and therefore companies must offer people not only a fresh outlook and a friendly working environment, including the possibility of relaxation, but also the most diverse means of transport accessibility. We already think about this when making acquisitions, which is why we are interested in sites that are accessible by public transport or are close to major cities. In this way, we are naturally closer to our clients’ employees. Apart from using their own transport, people can get to sites outside the inner city by bus and train.
What are the most common requirements of tenants at the moment and how are their needs changing over time?
Our clients need to have the security of a long-term contract that allows them to plan their business, typically over a five or even ten-year horizon. They are also interested in knowing whether it is possible to expand within the site if it and their business grow. They are also more sensitive to commercial lease terms, environmental considerations, sustainability of operations and flexibility of space. Customers now expect that green electricity has been secured and documented. We are trying to accommodate all these aspects today.
What are your sustainability goals and how do you implement them in your projects?
Across Logicor, our goal is to reduce the carbon footprint of our facilities by 36 percent by 2030. We use a variety of methods to achieve this. Some are quite common; others are more specific. Some of the more original elements we use in our projects are pre-set glass facades and sunlamps that save on space conditioning costs. We use green walls, green roofs and green facades with climbing plants to better manage rainwater and cool the facades. Of course, solar panels (or preparing roofs for solar panels) and chargers are installed after we verify the realistic operating requirements with the client. We have also installed smart metering, which makes it possible to get an overview of actual energy consumption. Wherever we can and wherever there is space on site, we use water features, green areas plus shady spots, and plant more than a standard amount of trees and shrubs. We also create places for relaxation or corporate meetings.
You have already completed three campuses in the Czech Republic. What else are you planning at the moment?
We are already preparing the construction of a 14,000 sq m industrial complex in an established commercial location in Plzeň. Thanks to its location on the D5 motorway between Prague and the German border, it will create a great base for cross-border logistics and distribution of goods. It will also offer space for small-scale manufacturing/production.
In what timeframe could it be available and will it be, in comparison to the previous ones, specific?
We expect completion in the first half of 2027. The site will be special because it is located not only close to the ring road, which will bring freight traffic directly to the motorway without having to pass through a residential area, but also close to the largest housing estate in Plzeň. In addition, the building will have higher possibilities for the interior layout. Thanks to all this, it will be ready not only for standard logistics but, courtesy of a separate handling yard and a large parking lot, can also be used for sophisticated production or commercial operations. It also has good public access alongside civic amenities. These aspects are reflected in current advanced negotiations with future clients, which we are already conducting.
Jana Hrabětová
Photo: Logicor Archive and Bohdan Štoček