7. May 2025

A successful year for Accolade: growth across all our markets

Investing billions in Karlovy Vary region

We have long been the biggest investor in Karlovy Vary region–since Accolade started operating in the region in 2013, the value of our six local industrial parks has risen to above CZK 18 billion. Our activities were initially concentrated in the Cheb district, but in 2023 we also invested in new projects in Ostrov and, for the first time ever, in the very centre of the region, the city of Karlovy Vary itself. Our buildings, which aspire to BREEAM certification at the Excellent level at least, will bring hundreds of new jobs to the Karlovy Vary region. Let’s take a closer look at the projects.

 

The first park in the heart of the region

Accolade has recently entered the city of Karlovy Vary–in mid-2024 construction began on our Karlovy Vary industrial park with an area of over 23,000 square metres for WACKER. It is due to be completed in mid-2025.

 

A first-class tenant

This is WACKER’S second site in the Czech Republic, having been located in Pilsen since 2007. In Karlovy Vary, this Germany-based company will treat silicone compounds for further processing into final products such as insulation elements for electric vehicle batteries, sealing elements for electronic components, and silicones for medical and healthcare applications. The new production plant will also feature laboratories and testing facilities. Thanks to modern technologies designed to reduce energy consumption, the site as a whole is seeking BREEAM New Construction certification at the Excellent level.

 

An opportunity for the region

In the first phase, WACKER will create as many as 200 new jobs at its new site, which will be easily accessible to employees. Its location near the D6 motorway means it will offer fast connections to Germany and Slovakia, as well as to Czech cities–Pilsen is just seventy minutes away and the journey time to Prague is just ninety minutes.

 

Expansion in Ostrov

Another project launched in the first half of 2024 and with its first phase successfully completed is the new manufacturing facility in our Park Ostrov South. The keys have been handed over to the tenant, WITTE Automotive Czechia, which is the second largest employer in the Karlovy Vary region. Once operational, the plant will offer as many as 350 jobs and strengthen the industrial sector in the Karlovy Vary region. WITTE will occupy almost half of the new building’s 65,000 square metres, specifically 27,000 square metres. The building’s first columns were erected in a ceremony held in June 2024.

 

An established brand 

WITTE is no newcomer to the Czech Republic. It currently has other sites in nearby Nejdek and also in Ostrov, just a short distance from the new plant. A German company specialising in the production of solutions for automobile doors, bonnets and seats, it employs two thousand people in the region.

WITTE sets great store by developing its employees’ expertise, leveraging modern technology and minimising its environmental footprint, and the new plant will be no exception–here too, the project is aspiring to BREEAM New Construction international sustainability certification at the Excellent level.

 

Another building in good hands

We have completed another project in our Park Ostrov North–a 57,400 square metre facility has been taken by ZF, another global technology leader in the automotive industry which already employs around 3,500 people in the Czech Republic. Complying with all the principles of sustainable development was at the heart of the project.

ZF is already an established name in the Czech Republic, with production plants and development centres throughout the country. It is now opening a highly automated distribution centre for spare parts market at Ostrov, where it’s clear that sustainability was a key factor in the construction design. The building uses recycled and environmentally friendly materials, with a focus on efficient waste management and the reduction of single-use plastics. What’s more, smart technologies cut energy consumption. Another reason ZF chose this location is its proximity to key markets, which reduces transport distances and emissions. The building is not connected to any fossil fuel energy sources and aspires to achieve one of the highest levels of BREEAM New Construction international sustainability certification.

 

Ecology first

Covering an area of 6,200 square metres on the wall of a global fashion chain’s distribution centre, the mural being created in our industrial park in Cheb will be the largest in the Czech Republic. The main facade is 700 metres long and the mural is 15 metres high. The work is being created by renowned street artist ChemiS, who has already completed a number of other projects for Accolade, for example in Hořovice and Brno. The original design came from the architectural studio PROJEKTSTUDIO–the motifs on the facade reference the distinctive architecture the town of Cheb is famed for. The project is scheduled for completion in mid-2025.

 

Karlovy Vary region to have the country’s biggest mural

Covering an area of 6,200 square metres on the wall of a global fashion chain’s distribution centre, the mural being created in our industrial park in Cheb will be the largest in the Czech Republic. The main façade is 700 metres long and the mural is 15 metres high. The work is being created by renowned street artist ChemiS, who has already completed a number of other projects for Accolade, for example in Hořovice and Brno. The original design came from the architectural studio PROJEKTSTUDIO–the motifs on the façade reference the distinctive architecture the town of Cheb is famed for. The project is scheduled for completion in mid-2025.

 

What is BREEAM Outstanding?

So far, Accolade’s portfolio features eight projects that hold the prestigious BREEAM Outstanding certification. This rating now also applies to the entire Cheb South industrial park, which features a building that, at the time, was rated the greenest in the world according to the BREEAM criteria, with a record score of 94.2%. Today it is part of the Accolade Industrial Fund portfolio and is mostly leased by German online car parts retailer AUTODOC. The neighbouring industrial facility, partly leased by Czech startup Shipmonk, has a score of 94%, and these are joined by a third building with a score of 90.6%. In 2024, a hall in Park Cheb East used by Goodyear also received the highest level of BREEAM certification with an Outstanding score of 90.5%. The building is equipped with sustainable features such as heat pumps, the possibility of installing solar panels, and water saving systems. 

 

Sustainable growth: Kladno and Zdice as centres of modern industry

Accolade’s industrial zones in Kladno and Zdice are undergoing dynamic development, though both projects continue to emphasise sustainability and modern technologies. In Kladno, we are expanding and significantly upgrading the facilities for Hanon Systems. The growing industrial park in Zdice gained a new tenant, Toyota Material Handling CZ, which will build a distribution centre with administrative facilities here, including its corporate headquarters. Both projects are a boost to the local infrastructure and employment and point the way forward for modern industry.

 

Twenty-one thousand square metres in a year

We have further expanded the Kladno-South industrial zone. Hanon Systems, which already has a plant there making cooling systems for the automotive industry, has been handed the keys to a new building in July 2024, more than doubling the space it leases in the industrial park.

Work on the new development in the Kladno complex started in summer 2023 and took about a year to complete. Hanon Systems thus expanded its production space in the zone by a further 21,000 square metres. In addition, its existing 16,000 square metre building has been overhauled. 

Hanon Systems is one of the biggest firms in its field. It employs over 21,000 people across the world and is a well-established employer in the Kladno area. I’m delighted that we, as the Kladno site’s owner and also the project investor, can support the expansion of a company whose story is proof that modern industrial real estate is the backbone of the European economy. – Jiří Stránský, Head of Development at Accolade

Betting on green again

Kladno district boasts outstanding infrastructure and availability of skilled labour. It is located near the key D5, D6 and D7 and motorways and Václav Havel International Airport. The modernisation of the railway line connecting Prague, the airport and Kladno will be a significant advantage in the future. This strategic project will make the locality even more attractive for business and logistics.

 

A region with excellent parameters

Kladno district boasts outstanding infrastructure and availability of skilled labour. It is located near the key D5, D6 and D7 and motorways and Václav Havel International Airport. The modernisation of the railway line connecting Prague, the airport and Kladno will be a significant advantage in the future. This strategic project will make the locality even more attractive for business and logistics.

 

A billion crowns for Zdice

We are also growing in the Zdice industrial park, where we have invested more than one billion crowns since construction began. Toyota Material Handling CZ (TMHCZ), part of the Toyota Industries Corporation group, has become a new tenant, leasing over 13,000 square metres in the park.

For many years now, TMHCZ has supplied the Czech market with cutting-edge handling technology and warehouse automation solutions. It will be relocating to Zdice from Rudná near Prague. In Zdice it will use thousands of square metres of space for a distribution centre, an extensive workshop and offices with its own headquarters.

 

Zdice industrial park

• Planned area: over 70,000 m²
• Buildings: 2 (13,000 m², 12,000 m² + 13,500 m²)
• Infrastructure: road reconstruction, roundabout, road, cycle path
• Tenants: Doosan Bobcat, VAFO PRAHA, THMCZ
• Certification: BREEAM Excellent (Building 1); Building 2 preparing to apply
• Transport links: 40 km from Prague, 120 km from Rozvadov, connections to the A6/A93/A9

 

In good company

The Zdice industrial park consists of two buildings. The first, which covers an area of over 13,000 square metres and is now part of the Accolade Industrial Fund portfolio, has been used since summer 2022 by Doosan Bobcat, a global manufacturer of compact loaders and excavators. The construction of this building was accompanied by the development of a field track into a road leading to the D5 motorway and the building of a roundabout. The second hall, currently divided into two parts, comprises 12,000 square metres of warehouse space leased to VAFO PRAHA, a leading Czech manufacturer of pet food, while the remaining 13,500 square metres will be occupied by TMHCZ. The construction project, which includes a road, bike path, and utility networks for the village of Knížkovice, began at the end of 2024 and will run until the end of 2025.

 

Greenery wherever you turn

Expected to cover an area of 70,000 square metres in the future, the park as a whole is already a model of responsible environmental stewardship–half the site is freely accessible green space. The project features three rainwater retention tanks, and the site is so far away from the residential area of Zdice that no freight traffic needs to pass through it. The first of the sheds has been awarded BREEAM certification at the Excellent level, and the second is aspiring to match it. The industrial park also excels in terms of transport links: it lies just 40 kilometres from Prague and the German border crossing at Rozvadov is about 120 kilometres away. On the German side, the D5 motorway connects to the A6/A93/A9 motorways leading to Nuremberg, Regensburg and Munich.

 

Szczecin: strengthening our position as a leader in the region

Accolade is pushing ahead with its expansion in the Polish market. In Szczecin alone, where it has long been the largest investor in modern industrial real estate, it launched two major projects in 2024–Park Szczecin V on Lubczyńska Street and Park Szczecin VI in Dunikowo. The two sites consolidate the company’s stable position in the region and further raise the bar in terms of sustainability and energy efficiency. “We are proud that we are continuing to grow in this locality,” says Adrian Karpiński, Senior Asset Manager at Accolade, commenting on the latest developments.

 

Lubczyńska: we can start expanding right away

Located on Lubczyńska Street, Park Szczecin V was completed in February 2025. The 16,000 square metre facility is close to other Accolade industrial parks, and more than half of its capacity has already been taken by a new tenant, Farutex, a company from the HoReCa sector, which uses the site for a warehouse and offices.

The other half of the space is ready for future tenants. There may be several of them, according to Karpiński. “Park Szczecin V is further proof that our strategy is working–clients trust us and are expanding their business with us,” he says, adding that, depending on demand, the project could double its capacity, bringing the total area of the complex to 30,000 square metres. “If the demand is there, we can start expanding the space right away,” he adds.

 

Dunikowo: combining efficiency with sustainability

Construction of the second major project, Park Szczecin VI, began in June 2024 and is scheduled for completion in the same month of 2025. The total area of 54,500 square metres of BTS space will serve as a distribution centre for a major player in the retail sector with a pan-European presence. The building aims to obtain prestigious BREEAM Outstanding certification, the highest rating available, and will feature a reinforced roof with a 1 MWp photovoltaic installation and an eco-friendly heat pump for heating. Among other things, employees will have access to covered bike racks for 48 bikes and 20 charging stations for electric cars.

“Park Szczecin VI is exceptional not only in terms of its size, but also in terms of the technologies it uses. Our goal is to offer tenants state-of-the-art solutions that combine efficiency and sustainability,” Adrian Karpiński explains. Thanks to its strategic location, the distribution centre will serve northwestern Poland and the Berlin area, providing jobs for up to 500 people. There is also capacity for expanding the project by an additional 8,000 square metres, depending on the tenant’s future requirements.

 

Aiming to double our portfolio

Accolade has been operating in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship since 2015 and currently manages 430,000 square metres of industrial space on six sites leased to 22 tenants (including the Accolade Industrial Fund portfolio). Our long-term goal is to expand our portfolio in the Szczecin region to a total of 900,000 square metres. And what are our goals for the coming year? “To be the outright leader in the region. We’re already the leader in terms of multi-tenant spaces, so we want to continue to consolidate our stable position. Our goal is to grow together with our partners and provide them with top-quality solutions,” concludes Karpiński.

 

Bratislava: a new locality with a prestigious tenant

Volkswagen Slovakia, the operator of one of the car brand’s biggest manufacturing plants in Europe, has taken the first building in the new Bratislava North II industrial complex. The project boosts the automotive industry’s logistics capacities and will both bring new jobs to the region and develop its transport infrastructure. The industrial park’s total built-up area will be approximately 45,000 square metres, with three buildings available for lease. 

The 20,000 square metre building for Volkswagen will primarily be used for component warehousing. It will feature several innovations, including a side-loading logistics that will make parts handling more efficient. In terms of sustainability, the building features a unique white façade that will reduce the temperature inside the building by up to seven degrees Celsius during the summer months.

Strict environmental standards will be met throughout the park, which is targeting an Excellent rating of BREEAM New Construction certification. There will be charging stations for electric vehicles, rainwater retention tanks, habitats for local wildlife and an outdoor gym for employees. 

Although Park Bratislava North II is our first investment directly in the Bratislava market, it is Accolade’s second site in Slovakia. In 2019, in cooperation with our partners, we started the development of an industrial park in Košice that is now part of the Accolade Industrial Fund portfolio and is currently fully occupied. The tenants are mainly global leaders from the healthcare sector, such as Siemens Healthineers, Dr. Max and the nutritional supplements manufacturer Greenpharm.