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James Markby, former head of CBRE’s European industrial and logistics investment team, and Kristof Verstraeten, previously commercial director Europe at Goodman, have established a new pan-European logistics specialist business focussed on occupiers.

Logistics Capital Partners will specialise in development, project management, asset management and strategic real estate investment advisory. The new business will work on behalf of several of the main occupiers in Europe, the partners said.

Based in London and Belgium, Logistics Capital Partners will operate across the UK and Continental Europe.

Separately, CBRE announced that Jack Cox, senior director, will have responsibility for the 42-strong EMEA Industrial and Logistics Capital Markets team, while Simon Blake will continue in his current role as chairman overseeing the team.

Blake commented: '2014 marked a watershed moment for the European industrial and logistics sector, with record investment volumes (€20 bn), and 2015 looks set to be another strong year. Our latest research shows that more investors than ever have indicated their intention to increase their allocations to industrial and logistics assets across the region this year.

'We would like to thank James for his years of service with CBRE and wish him well with his new venture. We look forward to working with him and Kristof in the future.'

Occupier focus
While the CBRE team, Goodman Group and Logistics Capital Partners all operate in the logistics/industrial space, the new business is focused on servicing the needs of occupiers. Markby, managing director of Logistics Capital Partners, commented: 'Kristof and I have identified a real opportunity: increasingly, we are being asked by occupiers for an alternative way of delivering and managing their new buildings efficiently; at the same time we are being asked by sophisticated global capital for a more efficient and aligned way of investing in the sector.'

'Couple these needs with natural growth in the sector, and Logistics Capital Partners is perfectly placed to be the dedicated long term, specialist partner of choice, and to deliver some interesting performance benefits. We have a clear understanding of their various needs, the sector’s changing dynamics, strong personal track records, professional relationships and complementary skills to deliver across the main markets.'

'As we launch the group, we are particularly interested in hearing from the managers of logistics companies across Europe who are looking for a new partner and an innovative model to deliver their requirements,' Markby added.