Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager, and Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based global investment management firm with over $110 billion in assets under management, have entered into a strategic partnership to invest in logistics assets across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.
Under the partnership, Blackstone, the world’s largest owner of logistics assets with over 1.2 billion square feet, and Lunate, which brings a strong regional network and robust investment capabilities, will collaborate to launch a new platform.
The platform, named Gulf Logistics Infrastructure Development Enterprise (GLIDE), will focus on the development, acquisition, and management of Grade A logistics assets across the GCC, supporting the region’s expanding logistics and supply chain needs.
It is expected that additional strategic partners in the GCC will also participate in GLIDE, which will have dedicated teams across the region, supporting its build-out.
Demand for logistics in the GCC is accelerating, fueled by strong economic growth, the rise of eCommerce, and increased manufacturing activity.
However, there remains a notable shortage of Grade A logistics facilities, those built to modern specifications, offering high operational efficiency and aligned with international standards, creating attractive investment opportunities across the region.
Aiming to deploy $5 billion in high-quality warehouse assets, GLIDE will drive the development of next-generation logistics infrastructure in the GCC. Its strategy will focus primarily on greenfield developments, while also pursuing selective portfolio acquisitions and sale-and-leaseback transactions with leading regional businesses.
Blackstone and Lunate Launch GLIDE to Address Infrastructure Gap
Jon Gray, President and Chief Operating Officer at Blackstone, said that, “The profound economic transformation underway in the GCC, driven by pro-growth policies, favorable demographic shifts, and broad-based economic diversification, is creating powerful momentum for sectors like logistics. We are thrilled to partner with Lunate to combine our investment expertise and deep logistics experience with their strong GCC presence and capabilities to build GLIDE, a pan-regional logistics platform at scale.”
Khalifa Al Suwaidi, Managing Partner at Lunate, stated that, “We are proud to join forces with Blackstone, the world’s largest logistics assets owner, to launch GLIDE, a unique platform designed to capitalize on opportunities in the GCC logistics market. GLIDE will offer our clients and investors access to compelling investments in high-quality logistics assets and support the development of new infrastructure to drive growth across the GCC. This partnership combines global scale with regional expertise to unlock a market ready for transformation.”
