Prologis Builds 11,800-Square-Metre Fresh-Food Logistics Hub at Milan Market
Prologis is developing a six-unit, temperature-controlled logistics platform inside Milan’s Foody wholesale market. The 11,800-square-metre facility is due by the end of 2026 and will support fresh-food handling, urban distribution and last-mile operations.
Temperature-controlled capacity for urban food distribution
Prologis has started developing a new fresh-food distribution warehouse inside the Mercato Alimentare Milano-Foody, Milan’s wholesale food complex. According to Italia a Tavola, the facility, named Milano DC5-Logistica L3, will cover approximately 11,800 square metres and is scheduled to be ready by the end of 2026.
The building will contain six temperature-controlled units designed for handling perishable products. The spaces are intended for food companies, last-mile distributors and small and medium-sized businesses that need an operating base close to the city. The project places refrigerated capacity within a market already used daily by wholesalers and distributors supplying shops, restaurants and other operators in Milan.
Cross-dock design targets faster handling
Milano DC5 will use a cross-dock configuration, allowing goods to arrive, be sorted and leave the facility without prolonged storage. Its flexible layout is designed to accommodate multiple users. For fresh-food operators, this model can shorten handling times between wholesale delivery and urban dispatch, while temperature-controlled areas help maintain cold-chain conditions during sorting and consolidation.
Prologis is developing the warehouse on land granted under a surface-right agreement by Sogemi, the company partly owned by the Municipality of Milan that owns and manages the Foody market. The project follows Milano DC3-Logistica L2, another Prologis development in the same area that regenerated an existing urban site. Italia a Tavola reports that Milano DC5 will also be built without consuming undeveloped land.
New platform joins a large wholesale ecosystem
The facility expands logistics infrastructure created as part of Sogemi’s Foody2025 redevelopment programme. The wider market complex currently contains four markets, nine logistics platforms and a management centre across more than 650,000 square metres. More than 400 companies operate there, daily attendance exceeds 5,000 people, and combined annual turnover is approximately €2 billion.
That concentration gives future tenants direct access to an established network of wholesalers, distributors and food-sector businesses. For operators serving northern Italy’s largest urban markets, proximity between refrigerated handling, wholesale trading and last-mile dispatch can reduce additional transfers through facilities outside the city. The six-unit format also allows the platform to serve several businesses rather than relying on a single occupier.
Energy efficiency included in the development
Prologis plans to incorporate high-efficiency energy systems, while the roof will be prepared for the installation of photovoltaic equipment. No expected generating capacity or investment value was disclosed. Energy performance is particularly relevant for refrigerated logistics because temperature control creates a continuous electricity requirement.
Sabine Hutter, vice-president of Capital Deployment at Prologis Italia, described logistics as an increasingly essential part of urban infrastructure and said the central location combines efficiency, proximity and flexibility in a market with high barriers to entry. Lorenzo Barbagli, Sogemi’s director of real estate infrastructure, said the L3 platform adds to the modernisation and urban-regeneration programme at Foody and strengthens the market’s role in the food supply chain and city distribution.