WILLEBROEK, BELGIUM-Industrial developer Eurinpro will develop a 345,600-sf warehouse complex here to suit DHL Exel Supply Chain, which has agreed to lease the facility. The deal also includes a potential 431,600-sf expansion.

Eurinpro will build the initial facility in the Tisselt neighborhood of Willebroek. The companies say the deal will allow DHL Exel to consolidate its food logistics and distribution activities in Belgium.

Eurinpro's country manager for Belgium says the site is less than two miles from the main roadway connecting Antwerp and Brussels, 18.5 miles from both the Port of Antwerp and Brussels International Airport, and about four miles from the Willebroek barge terminal.

DHL will occupy the initial 172,000 sf warehouse unit by July and twin unit by October. The project's second phase, which calls for a maximum expansion of 431,600 sf, is planned in the 2006-2009 time frame.

Industry sources tell GlobeSt.com that DHL signed a six-year lease for the facility. The negotiated lease rate was not released by the parties involved, but the cost of new shell space in the region ranges from $3.99 per sf per year to $4.64 per sf per year.