DL Invest Group, one of the fastest-growing Polish developers and investors, has leased nearly 80,000 sqm. of commercial spaces in 2021. It embraces activities in office, retail and industrial sectors. The value of assets that belong to the company increased to over PLN 1.5 billion. The company is also conducting advanced negotiations with other tenants. the finalization of which is expected in the first quarter of 2022, because of processes started in 2021. At the same time, the company is developing other warehouses, commercial and office projects, including the DL Tower project in Katowice, which will be commissioned in the first quarter of 2022 and the unique DL Prime project in Gliwice, the commissioning of which is planned for the fourth quarter of 2022. Both projects total over 36,000 sq m. of office space with the possibility of further expansion – the construction of new buildings on the plots of land, which have the potential for development of over 100,000 sqm. The biggest space potential in the DL Invest Group portfolio is still found in warehouse projects, where there is a land bank for the development of over 400,000 sqm. Only in the first quarter of 2022, warehouse projects with an area of over 50,000 sqm will be delivered. The company is also working on expanding the land bank for warehouse projects, including plots in Rzeszów, Wrocław, Kraków, Bolesławiec, Katowice and Warsaw.
The year 2021 was a year of extremely hard work in demanding conditions imposed on us by, among others, the pandemic. Nevertheless, we exceeded our goals once again. Not only that the amount of space leased last year is one of the best results in the history of our company, which is also related to the systematic expansion of our real estate portfolio, the value of which currently exceeds PLN 1.5 billion, but also during the pandemic we have implemented a unique restructuring of the project acquired from bank debt collection, transforming the project with 50% lease level, Plaza Zgorzelec, into a modern, 100% leased shopping centre DL City within 18 months. Within 18 months, we realized an exceptional return on invested equity of over 253%.
?This proves the competence and quality of the internal structure of DL Invest Group, which consists of an in-house general contractor with a design and project management teams and strong commercialization and property management departments, which are already prepared for the most difficult challenges. In my opinion, the competencies held within the Group are the greatest value of DL Invest Group, next to the asset portfolio? – says Dominik Leszczyński, CEO of DL Invest Group. “In 2021, we also started several processes, the finalization of which is expected in the first quarter of 2022, so we can say that the actual result in the area of leasing commercial spaces is better than the aforementioned one. In addition, 2021 was a breakthrough year in terms of increasing the stability and financing capacity of new projects by acquiring another foreign financial partner, which provided us with financing in the amount of over EUR 72 million. The fact that this partner is the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, one of the largest European financial institutions, is an additional emphasis on our competencies and capabilities” – emphasizes Dominik Leszczyński.
The largest transactions in the warehouse space sector in 2021 include the construction of four last-mile logistics properties for InPost, the construction of a BTS warehouse for Valeo Electronics and Electronics Systems and Hutchinson. Additional space for Stokrotka (Stokrotka is already a tenant in the currently expanded DL Invest Park Psary logistics centre), for which DL Invest Group is building another warehouse facility in Teresin near Warsaw, with an area of over 36,000 sqm (the total area of the logistics park in Teresin, the implementation of which is being staged, will be approximately 100,000 sqm), or space for Medivet in Dębica.
The largest office transactions in 2021 include space for Hermes and the Office of Technical Inspection in the DL Piano office building in Katowice, but also space for Landingi in the DL Prime complex in Gliwice, which is already 80% leased, or an agreement with ForSec in the office building DL Tower. Further office buildings are also planned, including in Katowice at Korfantego 138, where two more office towers are to be built by 2025 and at Wrocławska, where the DL Piano II office building will enter the construction phase within a few months. In the future, the company will launch further office projects in Gliwice.
In the retail park sector, over the last twelve months, contracts have been signed with, among others: Kaufland, Tedi, Jeronimo Martins, GlivClinic, Maximus Fitness, LPP and Dealz Poland. Currently, two more retail parks are under construction, which will expand the company’s commercial portfolio, currently consisting of 11 properties with an area of ??approximately 45,000 sqm (GLA).
The past year also saw the launch of the DL Green project, under which all the company’s new buildings will be certified, among others, in the BREEAM certification system. In December 2021, the BREEAM in Use certificate at the Excellent level was awarded to the company’s Katowice office building – DL Piano. As part of DL Green an excessive number of trees and other plants were planted, hives were introduced to warehouse investment areas and workshops were organized for local communities aimed at increasing their environmental awareness.