We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience.
This includes personalizing content and advertising.
By pressing "Accept All" or closing out of this banner, you consent to the use of all cookies and similar technologies and the sharing of information they collect with third parties.
You can reject marketing cookies by pressing "Deny Optional," but we still use essential, performance, and functional cookies.
In addition, whether you "Accept All," Deny Optional," click the X or otherwise continue to use the site, you accept our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, revised from time to time.
You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. ZacksTrade and Zacks.com are separate companies. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating individual securities.
If you wish to go to ZacksTrade, click OK. If you do not, click Cancel.
What Does the PLUS Deal Mean for COLD's Cold Chain Growth in Europe?
Read MoreHide Full Article
Key Takeaways
Americold will handle PLUS frozen storage, inventory, fulfillment and nationwide distribution from Barneveld.
COLD backs PLUS' shift to a single integrated frozen network to simplify supply chains and boost consistency.
Americold's Q1 revenues were $629.9M; Adjusted FFO and Core EBITDA fell amid energy costs and weak volumes.
Americold Realty Trust (COLD - Free Report) is deepening its role in European food logistics through a centralized frozen distribution setup for PLUS, the Dutch supermarket cooperative with about 440 stores. Under the arrangement, Americold will handle storage, inventory management, order fulfillment and distribution for PLUS’ frozen product assortment from its Barneveld distribution center in the Netherlands.
The move shows Americold’s efficiency in winning and supporting complex retail work at scale, especially as grocers look to simplify supply chains and improve service consistency. PLUS is moving to a single integrated frozen logistics model with nationwide coverage, and Americold’s Barneveld site gives it a strong operating base for high-throughput, multi-temperature retail distribution.
The agreement also fits with Americold’s wider push to focus on customer service, pricing discipline, cost control and new business wins. In its first-quarter 2026 update, management said industry fundamentals were showing signs of stabilization and highlighted progress on strategic priorities, including a new $1.3 billion joint venture with EQT.
Wrapping-Up
Still, investors should keep the positives in context. Americold’s first-quarter revenues were nearly flat at $629.9 million, while Adjusted FFO fell to 29 cents per share from 34 cents a year earlier. Core EBITDA declined 7.3% to $136.8 million and Global Warehouse same-store NOI fell 3.1%, with pressure from lower volumes, a competitive market, consumer caution and higher energy costs.
Overall, the PLUS relationship strengthens Americold’s European retail story and supports its long-term case as a major cold chain infrastructure operator with more than 220 temperature-controlled warehouses and about 1.4 billion refrigerated cubic feet globally. Still, softer warehouse demand, energy costs, leverage and earnings pressure suggest a Neutral view is reasonable for now, as investors wait for clearer volume recovery.
So far in the year, shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have gained 13.5%, outperforming the industry's rally of 10.7%. COLD’s FFO per share consensus estimate also exhibits upward revisions.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Prologis’ second-quarter 2026 FFO per share has been moved a cent northward over the past month to $1.53.
The consensus mark for W. P. Carey’s second-quarter 2026 FFO per share has been revised a cent upward to $1.32 over the past month.
Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents funds from operations (FFO), a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs.
Zacks' 7 Best Strong Buy Stocks (New Research Report)
Valued at $99, click below to receive our just-released report
predicting the 7 stocks that will soar highest in the coming month.
View the Zacks #1 Rank List
Image: Bigstock
What Does the PLUS Deal Mean for COLD's Cold Chain Growth in Europe?
Key Takeaways
Americold Realty Trust (COLD - Free Report) is deepening its role in European food logistics through a centralized frozen distribution setup for PLUS, the Dutch supermarket cooperative with about 440 stores. Under the arrangement, Americold will handle storage, inventory management, order fulfillment and distribution for PLUS’ frozen product assortment from its Barneveld distribution center in the Netherlands.
The move shows Americold’s efficiency in winning and supporting complex retail work at scale, especially as grocers look to simplify supply chains and improve service consistency. PLUS is moving to a single integrated frozen logistics model with nationwide coverage, and Americold’s Barneveld site gives it a strong operating base for high-throughput, multi-temperature retail distribution.
The agreement also fits with Americold’s wider push to focus on customer service, pricing discipline, cost control and new business wins. In its first-quarter 2026 update, management said industry fundamentals were showing signs of stabilization and highlighted progress on strategic priorities, including a new $1.3 billion joint venture with EQT.
Wrapping-Up
Still, investors should keep the positives in context. Americold’s first-quarter revenues were nearly flat at $629.9 million, while Adjusted FFO fell to 29 cents per share from 34 cents a year earlier. Core EBITDA declined 7.3% to $136.8 million and Global Warehouse same-store NOI fell 3.1%, with pressure from lower volumes, a competitive market, consumer caution and higher energy costs.
Overall, the PLUS relationship strengthens Americold’s European retail story and supports its long-term case as a major cold chain infrastructure operator with more than 220 temperature-controlled warehouses and about 1.4 billion refrigerated cubic feet globally. Still, softer warehouse demand, energy costs, leverage and earnings pressure suggest a Neutral view is reasonable for now, as investors wait for clearer volume recovery.
So far in the year, shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have gained 13.5%, outperforming the industry's rally of 10.7%. COLD’s FFO per share consensus estimate also exhibits upward revisions.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Stocks to Consider
Some better-ranked stocks from the broader REIT sector are Prologis, Inc. (PLD - Free Report) and W. P. Carey Inc. (WPC - Free Report) , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Prologis’ second-quarter 2026 FFO per share has been moved a cent northward over the past month to $1.53.
The consensus mark for W. P. Carey’s second-quarter 2026 FFO per share has been revised a cent upward to $1.32 over the past month.
Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents funds from operations (FFO), a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs.