This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
FRASERS Property Industrial has secured major Australian furniture and homewares retail chain, Freedom, for a new 1.48-hectare warehouse at its Rubix Connect estate in Melbourne’s Dandenong South.
Freedom, a portfolio company of Greenlit Brands, has committed to a 14,847 sqm the comprises a 14,320 sqm storage and distribution warehouse and a 527 sqm office space.
Following the lease, Rubix Connect will have approximately 15 hectares of developable land remaining. Existing tenants at the 41.3-hectare estate include The Décor Corporation, Ozito Industries Pty Ltd, efm Logistics, The Nolan Group and Zenexus.
Freedom’s built-to-suit warehousing and distribution facility will feature a 34-metre hardstand with full-width super awning, a 13.7 metre ridge height clearance, 12 recessed loading docks and three roller shutter doors.
The facility is designed to target a 5 Star Green Star Design and As-Built v1.3 rating from the Green Building Council of Australia, and will incorporate sustainability features including rainwater harvesting, solar photovoltaic panels, energy-efficient sensor lighting for offices and warehouse areas, and solar-heated hot water.
Landscaping will include native plants with a drip irrigation system and a dedicated green wall to help minimise local heat island effects.
The Freedom facility is being built by CIP Constructions and is due for completion in June, adjacent to a 11,410 sqm speculative facility being constructed simultaneously.
Rubix Connect offers road linkages to EastLink, Frankston-Dandenong Road, South Gippsland Highway and Taylors Road, and the intermodal freight terminal that will improve connectivity to the Port of Melbourne, Melbourne Airport and the Melbourne CBD.
Frasers acquired the Taylors Road site for Rubix Connect in an $80 million deal in 2019.
Freedom’s commitment is the latest of seven pre-commitments completed in Victoria’s “persistently tight” market since January 2022, said Andrew Hanna, general manager Victoria, Frasers Property Industrial, marking more than 100,000 sqm of industrial space leased throughout the period. According to Cushman & Wakefield, net face rents for industrial facilities over 5,000 sqm in Melbourne’s south east rose by 15% in the year to September.
The Freedom deal also furthers Frasers Property Industrial’s existing national partnership with parent company Greenlit Brands, which has an 18,869 sqm facility at our Horsley Drive Business Park estate in Sydney.
“This new facility will add to our distribution network, which in turn contributes to a reduction in delivery lead times as we get our goods straight to the doors of our customers as quickly as possible,” said Pascal Kouknas, Freedom’s general manager logistics operations and information.
Colliers’ Gordon Code, who negotiated the deal, said Rubix Connect is one of the few remaining vacant land opportunities in Melbourne’s southeast which is zoned for industrial usage.
