Prologis announced plans on Tuesday to develop its first distribution centre in the Middle East. The company has signed an agreement to design and build a 798,000 sq ft (74,000 m2) facility in Dubai for the transportation solutions provider Aramex. The new facility is being developed in Dubai Logistics City (DLC), a new logistics hub located less than 20 minutes from the Port of Jebel Ali and the future Dubai World Central International Airport. Construction work on the distribution centre has already commenced and is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2008.

Prologis announced plans on Tuesday to develop its first distribution centre in the Middle East. The company has signed an agreement to design and build a 798,000 sq ft (74,000 m2) facility in Dubai for the transportation solutions provider Aramex. The new facility is being developed in Dubai Logistics City (DLC), a new logistics hub located less than 20 minutes from the Port of Jebel Ali and the future Dubai World Central International Airport. Construction work on the distribution centre has already commenced and is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2008.

DLC is the first phase of a government-backed, 140-km2, masterplanned urban community called Dubai World Central. The $33 bn project, which is under construction 40 km from the existing Dubai International Airport, will eventually comprise one of the world's largest, integrated multi-modal logistics platforms, including DLC, the planned Dubai World Central Airport and Jebel Ali Port.

'We have been investigating business opportunities in this region for over a year and believe that this new transaction within DLC provides an excellent opportunity for Prologis to begin its Middle Eastern operations,' said Jeff Schwartz, chairman and chief executive officer of Prologis. 'Dubai, which benefits from a centralized location and immediate access to major modes of transport, is quickly becoming a gateway to the Middle East, with DLC set to serve as one of the largest supply chain communities in the world.'