Goodman Germany Celebrates Record Development Success in 2011

DUSSELDORF, Germany, Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Goodman Germany is celebrating its most successful year ever. In 2011 it signed deals for approximately 800,000 sqm of new and existing logistics space, and won over 50% of the market share of new development.

The German team signed a record 680,000 sqm of new pre-committed developments and a further 120,000 sqm in lease renewals with existing customers.

"2011 was a very successful year for us across Continental Europe where we have signed a total of 1,032,000 sqm of new pre-committed development deals, with an end value of approximately euro 595 million euro," said Danny Peeters, CEO Goodman Continental Europe.

"Our financial outlook for 2012 is sound; Goodman has a strong pan-European platform with the backing of a leading global group. In light of the current economic environment, however, we will retain our prudent business approach and be selective in terms of the investments that we will undertake," he said.

Goodman has a total of 3.8 million sqm of logistics assets under management across 11 countries in Continental Europe with an overall occupancy of 97%.

Peeters highlighted the impressive 680,000 sqm of new development projects signed in Germany in 2011, including four significant pre-committed developments for Amazon. "This exceptional result underlines Goodman's position as the market leader in the development and management of logistics real estate in Germany," he said. 

"The figures and results speak for themselves and we are proud of them," said Andreas Fleischer, Goodman Regional Director Germany.

Reasons for the success included the generally good economic environment in Germany and the resulting demand for high quality logistics properties. Certain industries, such as the e-commerce sector and the automotive industry, recorded substantial growth rates in 2011.

"However, you have to first secure the orders, and we succeeded in doing this in 2011 because of the strength and hard work of our team," Fleischer says.

Goodman's integrated own+develop+manage business model was a key factor in the German team's success. "As long-term owners of our logistics properties, we can offer our customers the best possible quality, while the Group's strong capital base enables us to realise projects with flexibility, cost-efficiency and speed," said Andreas Fleischer.

Sustainability is key focus for Goodman Germany, and it will continue to seek certification from the German society for sustainable construction (DGNB) for all developments.

About Goodman

Goodman is an integrated property group that owns, develops and manages industrial and business space across Continental Europe, the United Kingdom and the Asia-Pacific region. The Group invests in business parks, office parks, industrial estates and warehouse and distribution centres.

Goodman also offers a range of listed and unlisted property funds, giving investors access to a range of specialist services and property assets, and is working continually to build value in industrial property and fund management, with innovative new developments, and business and investment offerings.

With total assets under management of euro 13.3 billion and over 386 properties under management, Goodman is the largest industrial listed property group on the Australian Stock Exchange and one of the largest listed specialist fund managers globally. Its market insight and dedicated local teams create sound investment opportunities and develop properties and environments that meet each client's individual requirements. 

With more than 820 staff and 32 offices in 16 countries, Goodman has the global reach to meet customers' needs as their businesses expand or evolve. In Europe, Goodman has offices in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and the UK. For more information please visit: www.goodman.com