AEW Europe, one of the world’s largest real estate investment and asset managers[1], announces the acquisition of a c. 97,000 sqm urban warehouse and last mile logistics portfolio, comprising five assets across France. The strategy is to invest in high-quality urban logistics assets, adjacent to major metropolitan centres.
The portfolio acquired in this transaction comprises three Grade A urban warehouses and two last mile logistics assets used for parcel delivery services located in Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, and Valence, which are fully let to strong occupiers, with a WALB of 4.6 years. Constructed to high specification, three assets are certified BREEAM ‘Very Good’ to ‘Excellent’ or have Haute Qualité Environnementale (HQE) certification, with sustainability features including LED lighting, Building Management Systems (BMS) and photovoltaic panels on some assets[2].
This investment follows the acquisition of a c. 37,000 sqm multi-let logistics asset in Corbas, within the prime southeast Lyon logistics sub-market, and the acquisition of a c. 32,000 sqm logistics asset in Lomme, Lille, which is let on a long lease to one of the world leaders in food commerce.
The total portfolio now comprises approximately 166,500 sqm of prime urban logistics space across seven assets, with a total occupancy of 95% and a total WALT of 6.4 years. AEW Europe has been appointed to act as the asset manager to the portfolio and will be implementing a programme of improvements with a focus on enhancing the portfolio’s sustainability features, including the installation of photovoltaic panels on carports, BMS in all assets, and obtaining “BiodiverCity” certification.
Photo credit: ©Cushman & Wakefield – Lyon asset.
[1] Source: 2025 IRE.IQ Real Estate Managers Guide”. The Guide, published annually by Institutional Real Estate, Inc., ranks real estate managers based on the gross value of real estate AUM ($m) as of December 31, 2024.
[2] Additional information on ESG practices is available upon request.
About AEW
AEW is one of the world's largest real estate asset managers, with €73.8bn of assets under management as at 30 June 2025. AEW has over 860 employees, with its main offices located in Boston, London, Paris and Singapore and offers a wide range of real estate investment products including comingled funds, separate accounts and securities mandates across the full spectrum of investment strategies. AEW represents the real estate asset management platform of Natixis Investment Managers, one of the largest asset managers in the world.
As at 30 June 2025, AEW managed €35.8bn of real estate assets in Europe on behalf of a number of funds and separate accounts. AEW has over 520 employees based in 11 offices across Europe and has a long track record of successfully implementing Core, Value-Add and Opportunistic investment strategies on behalf of its clients. In the last five years, AEW has invested and divested a total volume of almost €15bn of real estate across European markets.
[1] Source: “2024 IREI.Q Real Estate Managers Guide”. The Guide, published annually by Institutional Real Estate, Inc., ranks real estate managers based on the gross value of real estate AUM ($m) as of December 31, 2023.