Dutch logistics giant Active Ants, a subsidiary of the bpost group, has struck a deal with M&G Real Estate on a 252,500 sq ft industrial unit at Brackmills Industrial Estate in Northampton, on a 10-year lease.
After operating 2 successful sites in the Netherlands, Active Ants has successfully expanded into Belgium and Germany in recent years.
Co-founder and Managing Partner Jeroen Dekker says: “Active Ants wants to be the best fulfilment company in Europe. We are delighted that our arrival in the UK will further increase our presence in Europe and we believe we are moving into one of the most exciting online markets. With our strong focus on innovation and automation we offer tailor made business 2 consumer (B2C) logistics for (SME) web shops. We are convinced that this will create superior value for our customers’.
Active Ants was founded in 2010 with the idea of making e-fulfilment more accurate and efficient through innovation, automation and working with robots. The company has since grown into one of the larger players in the Netherlands with over 250 customers and more than 5 million orders per year.
Jeroen continues, “The Brackmills Industrial Estate is the centre of e-commerce logistics in the United Kingdom – this combination makes it the perfect location for our e-fulfilment activities. We will be close to our customers and have good connections with last-mile distributors.
“In our search for the right location and the right building, it was important for us to find a building that fulfilled our mission and values. The ‘outstanding’ BREEAM certification of the Brackmills Estate means that the building performs at the highest environmental level, which fits perfectly with our sustainable – and highly automated – way of working. Active Ants is committed to sustainable relationships with all its stakeholders: customers, employees and the community”.
Michael Wood, Portfolio Director at M&G Real Estate, comments: “With this scheme, M&G is delivering on its commitment to providing high quality, ESG-led schemes which meet the exacting requirements of modern occupiers, and we are delighted to be welcoming an innovative international operator with this significant pre-let.”
