Verdion secures major prelet for new €33.5m Danish logistics facility

Verdion has made a further acquisition in Denmark for its VELF 2 value-add fund and secured a major pre-let for its new asset.

The 95,000 sq m strategic site is located in Espergærde near the northern port city of Helsingør, close to the E47 motorway.

Verdion has simultaneously completed a prelet to Sæther Nordics A/S, a leading Danish distributor of cosmetics and beauty products, to develop a state-of-the-art national logistics hub, consolidating three existing warehouses in this new location and bringing 100+ jobs to the area.

The new 26,710 sq m facility will provide 22,197 sq m of flexible warehousing as well as mezzanine, office and technical rooms. Provision for photovoltaic panels, air-to-air heat pumps and rainwater recycling are all included in the plans to minimise the building’s environmental impact, part of a range of measures designed to achieve the DGNB Gold sustainability rating. The new facility will be completed in Q1 2026.

The site also includes 55,000 sq m of green space, of which around 45,000 sq m will be open to the public with new uses for the area under discussion with the local municipality.

A further 6,200 sq m has been allocated for a new nature area under plans supported by the Danish Society for Nature Conservation. A lake within the site boundary will be relocated here, doubled in size to 3,100 sq m and improved in quality. Around it, Verdion will create new natural habitats to support and improve local biodiversity.

Peter Michael Tetzlaff, Head of Investment – Nordics, Verdion said: “Getting to this point is a great achievement. Combining our deep market knowledge and in-house technical expertise we have been able to deliver an attractive off-market opportunity for the fund. This facility for Sæther will set the standard for high quality distribution space in the area, creating modern, sustainable warehousing as this major Nordics business upgrades its logistics operations.”

He added: “The recent, significant closing for our VELF 2 fund means that we have further capital to deploy and an appetite for more investment opportunities across Denmark, Sweden and other European locations where there is potential to add value using our in-house development and technical expertise.”

Construction is expected to start on site in January 2025 with Artelia and Drees & Sommer part of the project team. CBRE and Accura advised Verdion on the acquisition. The seller, Trelleborg, was advised by Engell & Völkers.

VELF 2 centres on a value-add strategy to acquire, develop and reposition logistics assets in established locations across Northern European leveraging Verdion’s experienced in-house technical team. In September 2024 Verdion announced that it had tripled the size of the fund with a €150 million commitment from CBRE Investment Management, on behalf of its Indirect Private Real Estate Division, building on initial closings of €75 million sourced exclusively from investors in its inaugural fund VELF 1.

Verdion has already acquired its first asset for VELF 2 – a €33.5 million, DGNB Gold-certified distribution centre at Horsens within Denmark’s triangle region, pre-let to Danish ladieswear brand Zizzi and completed earlier this year.

VELF 2 fundraising continues.