Blackstone Launches Pan-European Logistics Firm Proxity

Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager with more than $1 trillion in assets under management (AUM) on Tuesday announced the launch of Proxity, a new pan-European logistics operator and developer.

The newly created platform will deliver high-quality, flexible warehousing solutions to a diverse customer base in Europe’s most vibrant metropolitan regions.

Proxity will initially comprise a portfolio of approximately 500 properties and development projects, totalling more than seven million sq. m. of lettable area, which are owned by real estate funds managed by Blackstone.

Proxity will be headquartered in Frankfurt and led by Guido Pinol, who will be its CEO. The company will operate across key markets in Continental Europe, the Nordics and Ireland, with plans to expand the portfolio in both existing and new markets as it scales further.

Also joining the newly formed leadership team is Jonas Kriebel, CFO. Both Pinol and Kriebel have been managing Office First, a leading German real estate investor and manager, and have an exceptional track record leading real estate businesses across Europe, having worked alongside Blackstone Real Estate for over a decade.

Finally, Yvo Postleb, former Country Head Germany at Cushman & Wakefield, will complete Proxity’s senior management team and serve as the company’s COO.

The company is expected to be fully operational by 2026, with recruitment initiatives across Germany and other European markets underway.

James Seppala, Head of Real Estate Europe at Blackstone, said that logistics has been one of thier highest conviction themes globally, with the sector continuing to benefit from highly favourable long-term fundamentals.

The creation of Proxity is further testament to Blackstone’s conviction and their funds’ ability to deploy capital in fragmented markets to build a scalable logistics platform able to capitalise on growing and evolving customer demand, he added.

In his comments, Pinol said that as global e-commerce and supply chain trends continue to drive occupier demand, they are excited by the opportunity to establish a truly pan-European platform which provides tailored warehousing solutions to its customers.

With Blackstone’s support, they were well placed to deploy capital and deliver growth, including through the company’s ambitious development pipeline, he said.

About Blackstone Real Estate

Blackstone is a global leader in real estate investing and its real estate business was founded in 1991 with $320 billion of investor capital under management.

It is the largest owner of commercial real estate globally, owning and operating assets across every major geography and sector, including logistics, data centers, residential, office and hospitality. Our opportunistic funds seek to acquire undermanaged, well-located assets across the world. Blackstone’s Core+ business invests in substantially stabilised real estate assets globally, through both institutional strategies and strategies tailored for income-focused individual investors including Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. (BREIT).

Blackstone Real Estate also operates one of the leading global real estate debt businesses, providing comprehensive financing solutions across the capital structure and risk spectrum, including management of Blackstone Mortgage Trust.