Tina PAILLET : GAZELEY is a dedicated logistics investment and develop company which builds and operates logistics parks and complexes. Founded in 1988 and headquartered in the United Kingdom, GAZELEY is wholly dependent upon US-based mega-distributor WAL-MART. In the first ten years, development was limited to Great Britain. Then in 2000, we began to expand into continental Europe, with investments in France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy and Spain. Today, Gazeley employs a total of 445 individuals and boasts some 30 sites—either completed or under development—for an aggregate total of some 4 million square metres of warehouse space.

VGA : GAZELEY has operated in France for only a few short years. What are the company’s plans for France and what is the nature of development to date?

TP : We have operated in France for four years now. Our operations are spread out in three main locations, namely Arras, Pagny (near Beaune) and Fos-Distriport (in southern France), and include several other dedicated facilities operated on behalf of a single client. Warehouses in France currently total 100 000 m2 in area, excluding the some 60 000 m2 of space presently under construction. At Arras, in a 152-hectare Magna Park—one of the largest logistics parks in Europe—an initial 23 000 m2 facility (out of a projected total of 630 000 m2 of warehouse space) has been erected and is now in the marketing stage. At Pagny, a startup 23 000 m2 warehouse has been built for the BUT banner, while at Fos a first 10 000 m2 refrigerated warehouse has been built for and delivered to a company operating under the name of Léon Vincent. Pursuant to the terms of a memorandum of understanding signed with Vatry, phase 1 of construction in Business Park 2 is to include two buildings, one 18 000 m2 in area and the 30 000 m2 in area. Gazeley expects to file for the requisite building permits when business activities resume in earnest in September. Phase 2 comprises a 120-hectare Magna Park planned for future Business Park 3. Negotiations are also under way with regard to a fifth logistics park in the Port of Dunkerque.

VGA : What exactly is a Magna Park?

TP : A Magna Park is a concept specific to Gazeley which dates back to the 1980s to a time when logisticians and cargo handlers themselves engaged in site selection activities without the benefit of related secondary infrastructure necessary for the smooth operation of a logistics complex. Magna Parks are large-scale developments set on tracts of land ranging in size from 150 to 200 hectares in area and based on the principle of service commonality (sprinklers, wastewater treatment plants, remote surveillance, site security, etc.). As a consequence, site users are better poised to optimize working tools and Gazeley better able to amortize investments and plan construction over the longer term. The first Magna Park, developed and built at Lutterworth, was located on a former military base on the outskirts of Birmingham… 17 years later, the figures speak for themselves: 750 000 m2 of warehouse space located on some 250 hectares of land provides employment for some 7000 individuals! We also develop G Parks—»G» standing for Gazeley—on smaller plots of land ranging from 20 to 50 hectares in area. These smaller complexes are designed to meet the needs of 2, 3 or 4 users at the most. More traditional by design, G Parks are developed based on mix of land-use opportunities and client demand.

VGA : What does GAZELEY look for in an operating location?

TP : We seek out multimodal locations featuring a combination of ground, rail and even river capability. In the case of Vatry, it is the first time we have ever invested in close proximity to an international airport. The introduction of air capability should allow us to diversify and expand our client base. As a general rule, we tend to focus primarily on port complexes—dry, river or marine—ripe with the potential for the development. By broadening the scope of our activities, seizing opportunities associated with ever mounting Asian-based container traffic and targeting other markets, we have succeeded in creating new markets for ourselves.

VGA : You will doubtless agree that Gazeley is increasingly popular with the younger generation of logisticians given the company’s demonstrated ability to combine building speed with the preservation and/or enhancement of the environment.

TP : We are indeed the inventors of a building process known as G-Track which involves optimizing site resources—human or material—by multiplying them. Recognizing the time-sensitive nature of the logistics industry, we pride ourselves in delivering buildings within a period of time which would have been unthinkable just 15 years ago. Current construction time for a 23 000 m2 facility stands at a maximum of 14 weeks. As for preservation and/or enhancement of the environment, we are convinced that we can develop leading edge logistics parks while lending a decidedly ‘green’ aspect to them. We therefore advocate the use of construction materials better suited to our environment-conscious age. We install photovoltaic panels on warehouse rooftops to reduce CO2 emissions. And we create parks which are so generously treed and landscaped that passers-by do not immediately realize that they have come upon a major logistics complex. In the UK, a million trees were planted onsite at Bedford in what is now known as the Magna Wood.

VGA : With the launch of development in Business Park 2, Vatry is helping rekindle activity in France’s waning logistics sector. Why Vatry in particular? What were the factors which impacted your decision to include Vatry as one your operating locations in France?

TP :Indeed, logistics activities had softened somewhat in recent times but have since recovered in fairly short order. With Vatry, we are counting upon seamless trimodality to spur the development of new parks. And with the added advantage of air capability which, as I stated earlier, is something new for us, we view Vatry as an opportunity to broaden the scope of our corporate expertise.