Flemish developer MG Real Estate is expanding its European footprint by developing a logistics warehouse in Calais, France.
The sustainable development will be the company’s first investment in France, becoming the sixth market for the family-owned business after Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Sweden and Denmark.
The MG Park Calais will feature a unique design and provide close to 100,000 m2 of warehouse space and offices above the docks for freight forwarders, logistics service providers and e-commerce players.
Budgeted at around €110 mln, the warehouse can accommodate up to 16 large and medium-sized players, each with a minimum of 6,000 m2 of space.
Completion of the first phase with 24,000 m2 is scheduled for 2024, while the warehouse will be fully opened in early 2025.
Ignace De Paepe, president of MG Real Estate, said: ‘With a first project in France, we are taking a nice step to strengthen our international growth ambitions. In time, MG Real Estate must continue to grow in France, from the north towards the south.’
Pierre-Alexandre Rohr, commercial manager at MG Real Estate, added: ‘Our first French site is strategically located in the north of Hauts-de-France, the most northerly region of France, at the intersection of the A16 (Dunkirk - Boulogne) and A26 (Calais - Arras) motorways, the Eurotunnel and the Port of Calais. This offers a wide range of logistical opportunities, particularly for exports to the UK and Ireland.’
The building in Calais will be BREEAM-certified and maximum use will be made of renewable energy thanks to solar panels and heat pumps.
Calais’s proximity to the A16 and A26 motorways provides access to Lille, Belgium and Paris, located between the Port of Calais and the Eurotunnel, taking advantage of trade between the continent and UK and Ireland.
Logistics accounts for 75% of MG Real Estate’s portfolio, with residential developments and retail and office spaces completing the mix.
