New Logistics Park: East Midlands Gateway

SEGRO has completed a pre-let deal with Maersk, which will see the Danish shipping and logistics company establish a new centre of excellence at SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway (SLPEMG).

Maersk will occupy a new 685,000 sq ft warehouse, designed specifically for them, which will complete in June 2023. In alignment with SEGRO’s net-zero 2030 and Maersk’s net-zero 2040 commitments, the unit is being constructed to be net-zero for both embodied and operational carbon. It will incorporate a full roof mounted PV array and extensive use of recycled construction materials. Provisions will also be made for the operation of a fully electric fleet of HGV vehicles in the future. The development expands Maersk’s offering of end-to-end logistics in the UK significantly and is the first bespoke pre-let logistics unit that the company will operate in the country.

SLPEMG is SEGRO’s flagship national big box scheme, a 700-acre development that has delivered over 4.5 million sq.ft. of sustainable logistics workspace. As part of the UK’s only inland freeport, the site incorporates a 50-acre Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI). Maersk selected SLPEMG as the site most capable of delivering operational excellence for their customers’ needs, with its central strategic location and on-site rail freight terminal providing a direct link to the seaports of Felixstowe, London Gateway and Southampton, amongst others, in order to minimise logistics emissions and significantly reduce on-road freight mileage. The benefits afforded to Maersk’s operation by the East Midlands Freeport further helped the case for choosing SLPEMG.

SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway started construction in 2017. The site was initially anticipated to be a 10-year programme, however, occupier demand and leasing success has exceeded expectations, as the last big box plot now been leased.

Andrew Pilsworth, Managing Director, National Logistics, SEGRO, said: “SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway is especially attractive to customers like Maersk due to the development’s scale, connectivity and our determination to develop to the highest quality and sustainability standards. The extraordinary pace at which we have delivered this scheme illustrates this. We are very excited to welcome Maersk to SLPEMG and as a new customer. We also welcome the additional employment and economic activity it will bring to the East Midlands, building on the 6,000 jobs already created at SLPEMG.”

Paul Woolass, Head of Logistics and Services Products UK & Ireland, Maersk said: “SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway is very much the perfect blueprint for optimising connectivity and flexibility within supply chains. Not only is it ideally positioned in the UK, but the vast infrastructure and cutting-edge technology across the site means operations on UK shores can be done from one place in the most sustainable way possible. It is the epitome of two of Maersk’s key visions for the future: integrating logistics and reaching net-zero emissions by 2040.”

In November, SEGRO launched its Community Investment Plan in the East Midlands, supporting local people with skills, employment, environment and economic investment. The plan is being delivered with its construction partner, customers, suppliers and four local charity partners to undertake a range of projects with the aim of achieving the following outcomes by the end of 2025:

• 5,250 young people will be engaged through a Schools Work Programme
• 300 unemployed people will participate in bespoke skills, and training programmes
• 6 outdoor spaces will be reinvigorated to improve biodiversity and support community wellbeing

The East Midlands Community Investment Plan is a key element of the company’s commitments to boost skills, training and employment in the communities where it operates across the UK and Continental Europe. Already home to a diverse range of customers including Kuehne+Nagel, ShopDirect, Games Workshop, Arvato and DHL, SLPEMG is in proximity to the major cities of Leicester, Derby and Nottingham and other local towns ensuring the park’s customers have access to a strong labour pool.