Accolade maintains strong position in Poland

Accolade's portfolio reached more than 1,300,000 sqm of leased space in 26 modern warehouse parks across Poland at the end of the first half of 2023.
The investor maintains its leadership position in several regions of Poland, including Zachodniopomorskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Lubuskie and Podlaskie, among others.
Accolade is also continuing its sustainable development strategy, winning BREEAM certifications for its investments and supporting local communities.
The developer obtained the first BREEAM Outstanding certification for an industrial building, making it the highest certified building in the industry.

In the first half of 2023, Accolade continued its commitment to the Polish warehouse sector, leasing 185,000 sqm of warehouse space, a similar result to that achieved in the same period last year. At a similar level through the first half of 2022, the number of new leases remained at 103,500 sqm. Among the largest deals were agreements with Regesta for 32,900 sqm in a park in Ruda Śląska, and with Kostal Automobil Elektrik for 17,000 sqm in Świdnik, where the latest project in the company's portfolio is located. What's more, Accolade doubled the size of its leased space as part of contract extensions with existing tenants. A total of 81,500 sqm was leased in this way, and the largest deals include an agreement with Tyco Electronics Polska, which occupies 56,000 sqm in Park Szczecin I, and with Iveco for 16,500 sqm in Park Zielona Góra. At the end of the first half of 2023, the total warehouse space owned by Accolade was 1,300,000 sqm within 26 parks located throughout Poland. The total value of the managed portfolio is more than €1.3 billion.

"These results confirm that Accolade is not only a trusted investor, but also an experienced asset manager. Although the first half of this year was full of challenges and uncertainties related to macroeconomic factors, our company, thanks to its local perspective and experience gained both in European markets and domestically, actively invests and flexibly responds to the changing business environment. We believe in the potential of the Polish warehousing sector, which is why we are successfully continuing our work, focused on creating modern, environmentally friendly warehouse parks that contribute to the country's economic development and meet the requirements of our customers." - said Jarek Wnuk, managing director of Accolade in Poland.  

Accolade continues to be a leader in many regions of Poland. Its strong position is particularly noticeable in locations along the country's western border. The record holder in terms of leased space is the West Pomeranian region, where the investor offers warehouse parks with a total area of 420,000 sqm in Szczecin, Goleniów and Koszalin. The scale of the investment in the region prompted the investor to open its first regional office in Szczecin, with the aim of actively cooperating with the local community and creating even better conditions for building business relations, including with companies operating in and around Szczecin. Accolade is also very active in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship, with parks totaling nearly 250,000 sqm in Bydgoszcz, and Lubuskie with parks in Zielona Gora of 170,000 sqm. 

"Poland is the undisputed leader in terms of newly built industrial facilities in our portfolio. Accolade, seeing the potential and importance of markets in this part of Europe, has also consistently invested in the Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovakia, and we are planning to enter more European markets. We believe that attractive locations, developed infrastructure and access to skilled labor, supported by our commitment to sustainable development, are the foundations for dynamic growth and increasing demand for industrial and logistics space in Europe." - said Lukáš Répal, chief operating officer at Accolade.

In Poland, the investor is not only focused on developing its portfolio through investments in new locations, but is also expanding in those already occupied. An example is the completion and full leasing of the second park in Bialystok. A total of 80,000 sqm of parks remain available here. All of Accolade's investments have had a positive impact on the local economy and created 12,500 new jobs nationwide.

A common feature of the parks is also a focus on ecology. Indeed, Accolade has created a system for evaluating investment opportunities that prioritizes so-called brownfields. In the company's portfolio, investments on revitalized sites account for as much as 30%. This commitment is evident in the BREEAM certifications received for all new parks. The developer aims for new parks to be certified at a minimum of Excellent. This year, Accolade was particularly honored, as Park Szczecin III received a BREEAM certificate at the Outstanding level, making it the first industrial building in Poland to be so highly certified.

The company does not limit itself to business initiatives, as evidenced by the creation of the Accolade Industrial Art program, which introduced art to industrial spaces. In the first quarter of this year, as part of this initiative, an outdoor exhibition was opened, dedicated to the industrial history of Zalom, where Accolade's largest industrial park in Poland, Park Szczecin I, is now located. In addition, the investor's initiative also includes educational programs aimed at children and young people. An example is the ecological workshops conducted in Zielona Góra, during which students learned the secrets of bee life and understood their importance for the environment. Accolade also cooperates with the Theater for One Smile, whose actors make time pleasant for children in hospitals. Such events are an integral part of Accolade's strategy, which emphasizes building close and positive relationships with local communities.

source: press materials