NewCold Opens €70 Million Ferentino Cold Storage Facility Linked to Froneri Plant

NewCold, a global provider of advanced food logistics, officially opened a new automated cold storage facility in Ferentino, Lazio, Italy, on 20 October 2026. The project represents a €70 million investment in cold chain infrastructure and offers 62,000 pallet positions. It includes a dedicated tunnel connecting the warehouse directly to the adjacent production facility of customer Froneri, which the company described as a first-of-its-kind solution in the Italian market.

NewCold Ferentino Facility: Key Details

The Ferentino site extends NewCold's network beyond northern Italy and brings cold chain services closer to food producers and consumers across Central and Southern Italy, the firm said. The facility uses an automated design intended to support energy-conscious operations and a continuous flow of products from manufacturing through storage and distribution.

The warehouse stands more than 40 meters high and combines automated storage and retrieval with automated vehicle loading and unloading. The 62,000 pallet positions represent the first phase of the project, which can accommodate future expansion. The facility began operations earlier this year and is anchored by Froneri, whose production plant is adjacent to the warehouse. A delegation from NewCold joined national and local government officials, business partners, customers and community members to mark the opening.

Froneri Partnership Anchors the Project

Bram Hage, Founder and CEO of NewCold, said: "Ferentino reflects the strength of a long standing partnership built on shared ambition and trust. By investing together in innovation, operational excellence, and responsible growth, we have created a facility that will serve our customer reliably and efficiently for many years to come."

Pietro Monaco, Group COO of Froneri, said the opening "marks another step forward in the strategic partnership that has connected Froneri and NewCold for more than ten years." He said the companies have built collaboration across numerous markets worldwide, from Europe and the Americas to Australia, and that the investment "lays the foundations to support the future growth ambitions of both companies."

Quirino Cipollone, CEO of Froneri Italia, described the hub as "a strategic investment in Froneri's future in Italy." He said the facility strengthens distribution capabilities and enables Froneri to support growth of the ice cream market in the country, while improving flexibility, efficiency and competitiveness.

Integration Into NewCold's European Network

Jonas Swarttouw, NewCold Managing Director Europe, placed the project within the company's wider footprint. "In Ferentino we expand our partnership with Froneri and add an important location to both our Italian and European network at the same time," Swarttouw said. He described the warehouse as "a text book example of supply chain efficiency," citing a fully automated connection of production, automated storage, retrieval and loading, and said that as part of the European network it offers integrated end-to-end solutions for distribution in European and Italian markets.

Luca Quaresima, Country Manager Italy at NewCold, said the opening followed several years of teamwork and brings the company's logistics model closer to customers across Central and Southern Italy while creating opportunities in the region.

The direct production-to-storage tunnel is the project's most distinctive feature. It can reduce intermediate truck movements, handling and exposure to temperature excursions. The tunnel is also intended to reduce transport-related pollution.

Jobs, Expansion Plans and Italian Logistics Market Context

NewCold expects the Ferentino project to create approximately 150 to 200 jobs. The company said the facility also provides capacity for future customer growth in Italy and that it plans to double its pallet capacity in Italy by 2030. NewCold has previously cited sites in Fiorenzuola d'Arda, Ferentino and Borgorose as providing nationwide coverage and shorter delivery times across the peninsula.

The opening comes as Italy's logistics market remains active but increasingly selective. Logistics take-up reached approximately 2.4 million square meters in 2025, up about 8% from 2024, while the national vacancy rate was approximately 6.6% at the end of 2025. Prime logistics rents were approximately €70 per square meter per year in Milan and Rome in late 2025, and prime yields reached roughly 5.25%. Cold storage has been among the sectors supporting logistics demand.

New logistics construction has increased vacancy in some secondary markets, while modern, well-located and specialized facilities remain comparatively scarce. A temperature-controlled, automated facility tied directly to a major food production plant depends on infrastructure, power, automation, refrigeration systems and customer integration rather than general warehouse area alone.

About NewCold

NewCold describes itself as the world's third largest refrigerated food logistics provider. It operates 27 highly automated, energy-efficient warehouses across three continents with a combined capacity of more than 2.5 million pallet positions. The company employs about 3,000 people from over 40 cultures and is supported by a growing transport fleet and proprietary technology.

Sources

• NewCold: NewCold opens €70 million automated cold storage facility in Ferentino Italy