The reindustrialization of Nissan continues to advance after designating last March the logistics group Goodman and the D-Hub mobility hub, led by the Catalan companies QEV and Btech, as pilots for the new stage. Goodman, who was awarded the land, plans to start leasing spaces on the plot previously occupied by the Japanese manufacturer next year, with the forecast of finding between 3 and 5 interested operators to set up in the Zona Franca. To do this, the developer will begin demolishing buildings this October and will build two turnkey warehouses starting early next year.
The director of Goodman Spain, Ignacio García-Cuenca, has specified that 140,000 square meters are expected to be added with the construction in height, making the most of the land and following the model that the Australian group has already implemented in other Catalan towns such as Molins de Rei and Castellbisbal. He said this at a round table focused on the reindustrialization of Nissan that was organized this Tuesday at the Barcelona New Economy Week (BNEW).
Goodman wants to allocate the spaces, above all, to logistics, from regional to last mile, taking into account that it is "one of the best locations in southern Europe" due to factors such as its proximity to the Port of Barcelona and the volume of business that moves. They also have in their radar the land needs that the Port of Barcelona has had for some time. The developer also does not rule out opening up to other sectors such as data centers.
For the moment, interested national and international companies are approaching, as well as large industries that want to set up in Barcelona. According to their calculations, in a standard logistics warehouse, six employees work per 1,000 square meters, a proportion that can be multiplied by 3 or 4 depending on the degree of sophistication.
In the coming weeks, according to García-Cuenca, the commercialization of the land will begin, hand in hand with Savills and CBRE. The forecast is that activity in the new warehouses will begin between the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025.
QEV Technologies debuts on the Stock Exchange
QEV Technologies' plans for the Zona Franca are also taking shape. The company went public in Amsterdam this Tuesday with a capitalization of 221 million euros. The company led by Joan Orús will maintain its tax domicile, headquarters, and operations in Barcelona. With this operation, QEV has raised 23.1 million euros to finance its business plan. The resources obtained come, in large part, from a new contribution from the capital management firm Inveready, which was already part of the shareholding and has now increased its investment.
The leap to Euronext Amsterdam comes after the merger with SPEAR Investments, a company whose mission is to raise capital from investment partners to subsequently merge with a high-growth company that can thus quickly go public. In the jargon of the financial sector, these corporate vehicles are known as SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company).
With this operation, QEV has raised 23.1 million euros to finance its business planAt the same time as the IPO, QEV Technologies' finance manager, Carles Soler, reported that the company is negotiating agreements to manufacture vehicles for third parties in the Zona Franca, in addition to producing Zeroid brand electric vans and pickups of the historic EbroAmong the interested parties for subcontracting manufacturing, there are companies from the United States, China, Mexico, Italy, Germany, and Israel.According to Soler, the most advanced negotiations are with the American company, with the forecast of closing the agreement in the spring of 2024.In the case of the Chinese company, the Chery group would be behind it.
"We have an excellent base," Soler remarked at the round table on the reindustrialization of the Nissan lands in the Zona Franca at BNEW. In addition to García-Cuenca (Goodman) and Soler (QEV), other involved in the process participated, such as the CEO of Silence, Carlos Sotelo, the executive president of RocaJunyent, Joan Roca, and the special delegate of the State in the CZFB, Pere Navarro.
BNEW, more than 350 speakers and 7,000 attendees
From Monday to Thursday, BNEW has scheduled a hundred panels with the participation of 350 speakers. The fourth edition of the congress organized by the CZFB expects to attract some 12,000 attendees, with more than 7,000 people participating in person and the rest doing so virtually.
About 80 local startups are part of BNEW this year. Among them are NovaPedra, dedicated to designing objects and coatings made from orange peel, and Metrickal, hired by companies such as Alibaba or Wetaca to outsource services such as customer service.
The event has also expanded its scope of incidence by exhibiting for the second consecutive year dresses designed by students from IED Barcelona or sculptures and paintings, stands integrated into the BNEW Experience vertical, designed for attendees to learn about Barcelona's leisure, cultural and gastronomic offerings. There are also wine, cheese or chocolate tastings on the DFactory terrace at the end of each day.