Taylor Wessing legal advisor to Shape Corporation, first tenant in new Panattoni Park Pilsen West II industrial park

Law firm Taylor Wessing Czech Republic has been providing legal consultancy to Shape Corporation Czech Republic, s.r.o. in a built-to-suit rental agreement at the Panattoni Park Pilsen West II industrial park. The US company has been gradually moving operations from its old premises in the Borské Pole district to the new site while expanding production of its passenger safety crumple zones for automobiles. On 21 September 2023 Shape Corporation launched production at the new facility, where up to 700 employees will work.

Taylor Wessing Czech Republic’s team, led by partner Marketa Cvrčková, advised the client on various aspects of this challenging project. Legal services included the drafting and negotiating of the new build-to-suit rental agreement, which including both a preliminary contract and contract for works.

“Thanks to its considerable experience our Real Estate and Construction team was able to provide legal advice for all phases of the project, specifically in negotiations with Colliers International as it mediated the agreement between the manufacturer and the developer, in negotiating the future rental agreement, in matters relating to the actual construction of the facility, and especially in closing the rental agreement, the handover of the facility and the subsequent process of transferring production. This whole transaction is one of the largest on the Czech market in the first half of this year. From the legal perspective this has been a highly complex project,“ explained Markéta Cvrčková, partner at Taylor Wessing Czech Republic.

Panattoni built the new 36,400 sqm premises on behalf of American company Shape Corporation, which moved its operations from Borské Pole to the new site while expanding production of its crumple zone structures at the same time. At full production capacity, which Shape Corporation expects towards the end of this year, as many as 700 employees will work in Nýřany, further consolidating its role as major employer in the Pilsen region.

The Panattoni Park Pilsen West II site is located on a brownfield site formerly used by coal mines. The new, modern facility has met strict BREEAM environmental certification requirements, with its carbon footprint being accounted for from the moment construction began. The hall is equipped with the latest technology and state-of-the-art machinery, enabling Shape Corporation to provide multi-material solutions and high-quality products to customers across Europe. Premises feature their own canteen, fitness centre, outdoor relaxation area and advanced TCL air filtration systems, ensuring indoor air quality.

The grand opening of this state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and launch of production took place on September 21, 2023. The new facility has consolidated operations from four different locations under one roof, streamlining production workflows and internal logistics while leaving additional space for potential expansion.

“We worked intensively on the agreement with Panattoni for more than a year. It was so important for us to work out full details of the construction and subsequent lease of the manufacturing premises including all additional contractual documentation, and the team of Markéta Cvrčková from Taylor Wessing was of great help with this. We were really looking forward to project completion and are so happy that operations have taken off officially. We believe the new hall offers ideal facilities for manufacturing but also potential for future growth,“ said Petr Matějíček, Global Purchasing Director, Shape Corporation.

Shape Corporation Czech Republic, s.r.o. is a US company and world leader in both metal forming and impact energy absorption used to protect passengers in the transportation industry. The company is a full-service solutions provider of in-house metal parts development, testing and manufacturing, and is widely recognized as a pioneer in both advanced sheet metal rolling and energy absorption systems development in the automotive industry. In the 40 years of its existence, it has evolved from a small family business into a global engineering and manufacturing company with 14 production facilities on three continents. Its Czech subsidiary has won the best employer of the year award in the Pilsen region repeatedly.

Markéta Cvrčková has been partner of law firm Taylor Wessing Czech Republic since 2015. As a member of Real Estate and Construction team, she specializes in lease relationships, real estate transaction and construction, other commercial matters connected with real estate development, and retail.

Adéla Kučerová, Senior Associate at law firm Taylor Wessing Czech Republic, advises national and international clients in matters of Real Estate and related transactions. She also has a focus on Mergers & Acquisitions and Corporate Law.

Monika Bartošová, Associate at Taylor Wessing Czech Republic, joined the Real Estate and Construction team in 2021, working on various projects to do with Real Estate law.