IN Brief:
- The approximately 33,000 sq m DC De Vaart warehouse has been leased in full to an unnamed listed distributor.
- The Almere property comprises four configurable units and has 32 loading docks, 12.2-metre clearance and more than 2 MW of contracted electrical capacity.
- GARBE has not disclosed the lease value, the occupier’s planned fit-out or a date for distribution operations to begin.
GARBE Industrial Real Estate has let the full DC De Vaart distribution centre in Almere, the Netherlands, to an unnamed publicly listed business supplying connectivity and digital infrastructure markets. The long-term agreement, disclosed on 26 October, covers approximately 33,000 sq m at the De Vaart business park. The tenant is described as an international distributor and supply chain partner for data centre-related applications; neither its name nor the rent has been disclosed.
DC De Vaart stands on an approximately 44,200 sq m plot on Hameiweg and comprises four flexible units of about 8,000 sq m each. Instead of accommodating four independently managed tenants, the building will be occupied by a single distributor. The lease establishes control of the whole property, although it does not establish whether the occupier will merge the units operationally, retain internal separations or alter the existing warehouse layout.
Its clear internal height of 12.2 metres creates scope for high-bay storage, subject to floor loading, rack engineering, sprinkler design and the handling equipment selected. Thirty-two loading docks can accommodate separate receiving and dispatch workstreams, but the actual rate of vehicle movements depends on yard circulation, collection appointments and the time needed to load and inspect individual consignments. A dock count should not be mistaken for a declared throughput capacity.
The incoming business distributes equipment for connectivity and digital infrastructure applications, where inventories may include different product dimensions and order quantities. A warehouse serving this sector may hold palletised consignments for planned installations alongside smaller components required for replacements or maintenance. Inventory traceability, protection in storage and picking accuracy would therefore be relevant design choices; the companies have not identified specific product lines, customer contracts or handling systems planned for Almere.
Almere offers access to the wider Amsterdam metropolitan area and connections to the A6, A1 and A27 motorways. Those road links can support deliveries to customers and onward transport hubs in the Netherlands and neighbouring markets, although the routes actually used by the new tenant have not been confirmed. The site’s position may also give the operator alternatives when assigning delivery rounds or selecting line-haul departures from a consolidated warehouse.
More than 2 MW of electrical capacity is already contracted for the site. That is a confirmed supply arrangement, rather than an estimate of a future grid connection, and may provide flexibility as the occupant chooses its lighting, charging, building systems and handling equipment. The announcement does not specify the electrical load of the proposed operation or confirm an automated storage installation. The contracted power figure must also not be read as evidence that the building itself will function as a data centre.
The property holds a BREEAM-NL Excellent certification and incorporates solar panels, LED lighting, green roofs, electric-vehicle charging facilities and a steel structure described by the advisers as circular. These are building features and certification credentials rather than verified figures for energy consumed by the future occupier. Power demand, transport emissions and the share of on-site electricity used will depend on the actual fleet, warehouse equipment and occupancy patterns once operations commence.
Distribution for infrastructure projects can involve stock arriving ahead of scheduled installation work, followed by dispatch to multiple customer locations. Separating slower-moving bulk inventory from frequently requested components can reduce unnecessary handling, provided the occupier has the stock data and racking needed to support that arrangement. No storage capacity measured in pallet positions, staffing requirement or inventory-management platform has been announced for the Almere operation.
DC De Vaart has been presented as a flexible multi-unit property, but its use by a single distributor could lead to different loading and storage patterns than four independent occupiers would require. A single operator can coordinate goods receipts, order priorities and dispatch cut-off times through one inventory system; any such configuration remains a choice for the tenant rather than a confirmed feature of this letting. The number and location of truck doors, yard circulation routes and permitted vehicle operating hours will still constrain how much freight the premises can process.
INDUSTRIAL Real Estate Partners advised the landlord in cooperation with JLL, while NL Real Estate | Knight Frank acted for the incoming occupier. Trade property reporting gives the floor area as approximately 32,700 sq m, consistent with the transaction announcement’s rounded 33,000 sq m. The lease is confirmed, but neither a handover date nor the start of outbound distribution has been specified. Any subsequent fit-out and operational opening will be distinct milestones.
