Frozen food and grocery supermarket chain Farmfoods has snapped up Tungsten Properties’ 246,134ft2 net zero carbon industrial unit ‘SuperW’ in Warrington, North West, to help it increase distribution efficiency as the group continues with its expansion.
The group has taken a 25 year lease on the facility, which is rated BREEAM Very Good and achieved Net Zero Carbon Accreditation.
Farmfoods is a 60-year-old family business that started as a butcher shop in Aberdeen and has since grown nationwide. The business operates more than 300 stores and four distribution centres which includes an existing facility in Warrington which they will retain and continue to operate from. Fit out works will commence in November and the new facility will create multiple new jobs.
Tungsten Properties purchased the 11 acre site in 2020 and planning permission was granted in early 2021. Winvic constructed the high specification unit to include integrated office accommodation, parking, gatehouse and warehouse operations office, landscaping and associated works.
Ashleigh Hayes, associate development director, Tungsten Properties said: “Super W is our first development in the north-west with our clear objective to provide high-spec, sustainable warehouse space where there is strong demand.
“As with all our buildings, the way that we have built in the sustainability credentials means that operational carbon emissions will be reduced by 26% over building regulations, meaning Farmfoods can operate out of their new building as efficiently as possible.”
John Sullivan, director of industrial and logistics at Colliers who let the unit to Farmfoods on behalf of Tungsten added: “There is now an acute lack of built industrial units immediately available in the North West, with only a handful of warehouses of 100,000 ft2+ ready for occupation in the next six months. This means that many occupiers with requirements may have to look at the design and build route to satisfy their requirements or wait until the next wave of speculative development comes through in six to 12 months’ time.”
Colliers and Moriarty & Co acted on behalf of Tungsten Properties; Farmfoods was unrepresented.
