Delivered quickly and sustainably

Location, location, location! In the last-mile delivery business, short distances and fast delivery are important and location is crucial. The Swedish parcel service provider Instabox also appreciated this when it was looking for suitable space for its entry into the German market. In the planned warehouse in Berlin, goods are to be packed by the largest client, H&M, and shipped to the end customer within a few hours. This requires at least 3,000 – 4,500 sqm of storage space, but above all, sufficient ramps and at least 50 –100 electrified parking spaces to service Instabox’s full fleet of electric vans.

Large areas of land close to towns and cities are generally in high demand and only available in limited volumes. Competition from residential, retail and office uses is fierce, especially as there are major concerns about the high traffic volumes of logistic companies. The team at JLL Industrial Leasing Berlin were nevertheless happy to take on the challenge.

Optimal negotiations. Quick success.

It was not an easy road, however the excellent, efficient cooperation with the people in charge at Instabox who worked competently and quickly, helped. After finding a potential location with sufficient space and good transport connections in Exeter Airport Park Berlin in the immediate vicinity of the capital's Berlin-Brandenburg (BER) Airport, negotiations were entered into with the owner, EQT Exeter, a fund company that invests in selected locations, develops functional and sustainable real estate solutions and offers them to commercial clients. EQT Exeter completed the space in time for the opening of Berlin Airport. The multifunctional building was developed to meet the requirements of users from most sectors, but predominantly companies from the e-commerce industry. The key issue for the Instabox negotiations was the construction of additional electrified parking spaces, as the approximately 50 parking spaces initially available would be insufficient in the long run. In addition, other interested parties were also negotiating for this coveted space. 

Thanks to JLL's solution-oriented, efficient support, Instabox was ultimately awarded the contract. It was agreed that a further 100 fully electrified parking spaces would be created in the short term on green space on the site. Now nothing stood in the way of a quick letting.

Letting within four months

Since Instabox needs all the ramps but not yet the entire warehouse, part of the space can initially be sublet, which means Instabox does not bear the costs for the warehouse space alone. Instabox plans to take over the entire warehouse after three years - a cost-effective solution. However, another aspect is more decisive in terms of competition. Since there is no more space available in the immediate vicinity of the city, competing businesses that are also striving to enter Germany will now have a much harder time. Similar space can only be found about 15 minutes outside the city; this makes a big difference in the last mile delivery business. The vans from Instabox have the better starting position. After being charged in their parking spaces overnight, they can do the last mile again quickly and sustainably the next day.