Company Description
Americold Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: COLD) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on temperature-controlled logistics and real estate. The company owns and operates a global network of refrigerated warehouses that support the storage and movement of temperature-sensitive products. Americold describes itself as having a more than 120-year legacy in the cold chain and emphasizes reliability and operational expertise in managing refrigerated facilities.
According to the company’s public disclosures, Americold operates more than 230 facilities across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and the Middle East, totaling approximately 1.4–1.5 billion refrigerated cubic feet of capacity. These temperature-controlled warehouses are positioned as an integral part of the global food supply chain, connecting producers, processors, distributors, and retailers through storage and logistics services tailored to refrigerated and frozen goods.
Business model and REIT structure
Americold operates as a real estate investment trust, with a business centered on the ownership, operation, acquisition, and development of temperature-controlled warehouses. In addition to its real estate focus, the company highlights its role in temperature-controlled logistics and value-added services. Public statements note that Americold supplements its warehouse platform with supply management and transportation services, and that its facilities support responsive and reliable supply chains for customers.
The company’s warehouse operations generate rent and storage revenues as well as warehouse services revenues, as reflected in its reported segment data for the Global Warehouse segment. Americold also reports a Transportation and Third-Party Managed segment, which contributes segment NOI as disclosed in its financial outlook. These segments illustrate how the company combines real estate ownership with logistics and operational services in the cold chain.
Global cold chain footprint
Americold’s disclosures describe a global footprint that includes facilities across multiple continents. The company reports that its network spans North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and South America, and more recent communications also highlight operations in the Middle East through a joint venture. Its warehouses are used to support a range of food supply chain activities, including import-export hubs and regional distribution centers.
For example, Americold has announced a large cold storage facility in Dubai’s Jebel Ali Free Zone, developed through its RSA Cold Chain joint venture and in partnership with DP World. This site is described as the company’s largest operational facility in the Middle East and is positioned as a critical import-export hub connecting global food producers to Gulf Cooperation Council markets. The facility offers multi-temperature storage, bonded and non-bonded capabilities, and is designed to support quick service restaurants, grocery retailers, and quick commerce platforms, with services such as pallet-level handling, co-packaging, inventory cycling, and customs-compliant break-bulk consolidation.
Americold has also highlighted its presence in Ireland, where its Dublin facility has been certified by Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to export to the United States. The company states that this certification makes Americold the only dedicated third-party cold storage provider in Ireland with this specific U.S. export capability. In addition, Americold reports AA-rated BRC Global Standard audits across multiple Irish facilities, underscoring a focus on food safety and quality standards.
Role in the food supply chain
Across its public communications, Americold emphasizes that its facilities are an integral part of the global food supply chain. The company states that its network connects producers, processors, distributors, and retailers, and that it provides tailored, value-added services supported by responsive supply chains. Examples of these services, as described in company materials, include automated storage and retrieval, distribution and inventory management, cross-docking, transloading, and other supply chain support functions at specific facilities.
Americold also notes that its operations support multi-unit operators such as quick service restaurant (QSR) chains. In the Asia-Pacific region, the company reports that it supports supply chains for more than 1,500 QSR locations across five major brands, and it has highlighted its ability to manage fast-turning, high-touch, high-service inventory. Building on this experience, Americold has disclosed an expansion into the convenience store segment through a partnership with On the Run (OTR) in Australia, where it will provide storage and distribution services to support OTR’s petrol and convenience network and national expansion.
Operational capabilities and facility examples
Americold’s network includes both conventional and automated facilities. The company has highlighted its Russellville, Arkansas automated site, which was named Refrigerated & Frozen Foods Magazine’s inaugural Cold Storage Facility of the Year. This facility includes an Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS), automated trailer unloading systems, high-speed barcode scanning, and integrated warehouse management and execution systems, all within a large, high-bay temperature-controlled building. Americold notes that the site supports automated storage and retrieval, distribution and inventory management, cross-docking, transloading, and value-added supply chain support.
In addition to automation, Americold references the use of energy-efficient refrigeration systems, insulated construction, and infrastructure that can support electric yard tractors and autonomous fleets at certain locations. The company also notes the use of rooftop solar panels at its Dubai facility to support energy efficiency. These examples illustrate how Americold designs and operates facilities to meet food safety, efficiency, and sustainability objectives as described in its public statements.
Corporate governance and capital management
Americold is incorporated in Maryland and lists its common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol COLD, as disclosed in its SEC filings. The company has reported various governance and capital structure developments through Form 8-K filings, including amendments to its credit facilities, extensions of term loan maturities, and the creation of new unsecured term loan capacity.
For example, Americold has disclosed a Second Amendment to its Credit Agreement that provides for a U.S. dollar unsecured delayed draw term loan facility intended to help repay existing senior unsecured notes and for general corporate purposes. The company has also reported an extension of the maturity date of a term loan facility, indicating active management of its debt profile.
Americold’s Board of Directors has been the subject of several recent disclosures. The company has announced the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer and Board member, as well as the appointment of additional independent directors. In connection with a cooperation agreement with Ancora-affiliated entities, Americold formed a Finance Committee of the Board to make recommendations on capital allocation and business portfolio matters, including potential sales or divestitures and opportunities to reduce debt while preserving core assets. These governance developments are described in detail in the company’s Form 8-K filings.
Dividends and REIT characteristics
As a publicly traded REIT, Americold has disclosed regular common stock dividends through press releases and SEC filings. The company has announced quarterly dividend declarations, including statements that certain dividend levels reflect increases from prior-year periods. These disclosures illustrate Americold’s practice of returning capital to shareholders through cash dividends, consistent with REIT structures that focus on distributing a portion of cash flows.
Risk disclosures and forward-looking considerations
Americold’s press releases and SEC filings include forward-looking statements and extensive risk factor summaries. The company identifies a range of risks that could affect its operations and financial results, including economic conditions, labor and power costs, supply chain disruptions, construction costs, customer contract dynamics, acquisition and expansion risks, information technology and cybersecurity risks, regulatory and tax changes, real estate and zoning considerations, environmental liabilities, financing conditions, and risks specific to temperature-controlled warehouses and REIT operations. These risk disclosures are intended to provide context for investors regarding uncertainties that could influence Americold’s performance.
Americold stock: what investors track
Investors researching COLD stock often focus on the company’s global warehouse footprint, occupancy and throughput metrics, segment NOI, Adjusted FFO, and capital allocation decisions as reported in earnings releases and supplemental information. Americold’s role in the global cold chain, its REIT structure, and its governance and financing activities are documented through regular press releases and SEC filings, providing a detailed view of how the company positions itself within temperature-controlled logistics and real estate.