Supply chain operator GEODIS is acquiring 21.5 hectares of land at Trade Port Noord from Greenport Venlo. Here, GEODIS plans to build one of the most sustainable logistics facilities in the Netherlands: a 130,000 sq m contract logistics site servicing customers from various vertical sectors and designed to accommodate the current growth in e-commerce.
The Venlo region is one of Europe’s prime spots for logistics activities, located near the Dutch border with Germany, acting as a link between the nearby air and seaports of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp with the major industrial markets of the continent.
“Trade Port Noord has excellent connections to the European multimodal infrastructure via road, river, rail, ocean and air. This makes it the ideal location for GEODIS to operate cargo flows for international clients, and to manage their warehousing and logistics needs utilizing our European distribution network – and to expand our Benelux-Germany-Poland corridor at the same time,” says Marie-Christine Lombard, CEO of GEODIS.
The construction of the new facility will start in 2022. GEODIS is committed to protect the environment and ensure the well-being of its employees. This new build will be designed to standards aimed at a BREEAM “outstanding” certification, and a WELL Silver certification. BREEAM is a world-known sustainability assessment method for buildings[i]; WELL is an international standard for creating spaces that enhance human health and well-being[ii].
“Health and safety of our employees have always been our first priority – already before the COVID-19 pandemic, and still today”, says Marie-Christine Lombard. “In the same spirit, the GEODIS logistics campus in Venlo will be one of the very few logistics buildings in the world with a WELL certification.”
To ensure all standards for the desired certifications will be in place, GEODIS has involved real estate services and investment company CBRE, advising on the land acquisition and project management.
“The new GEODIS campus is not only impressive in size, but it is also ambitious. To achieve the highest possible BREEAM-rating, we will pay attention to every detail in both design and material use, as well as design various energy saving systems”, says Tim Habraken, Sustainability Director at CBRE.
