Premium ingredients supplier Albion Fine Foods has signed a lease with Goodman for a 138,062 sq ft sustainable distribution facility at Crossways Commercial Park in Dartford, Kent.
A subsidiary of family-owned business Vestey Holdings, Albion Fine Foods supplies chefs in London and the South East with quality dairy, frozen and dry goods, as well as specialist items from its range of more than 4,000 products. The company operates a flexible seven-day delivery service, using a fleet of temperature-controlled vehicles.
Occupying a prime position next to Junction 1a of the M25, Crossways 138 will drive greater operational efficiencies for Albion Fine Foods and support the company’s continued growth. Offering fast access to London and the national motorway network, the new facility is ideally suited to serve its core customer base.
Kent is an attractive location for food and beverage (F&B) companies, with more than 2,500 F&B businesses located in the area. The region also benefits from a steady stream of graduates in food and agriculture, offering food and drink enterprises the opportunity to tap into an abundant and skilled workforce.
The highly sustainable facility is developed to a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ specification and has achieved an A+ EPC rating. Energy-saving features include a full rooftop array of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels – a 1,036kWp system generating 905,900kWh of renewable energy – solar thermal hot water, rainwater harvesting and EV charging infrastructure. These features help create energy, water and cost savings to assist Albion Fine Foods in fulfilling its own sustainability goals.
Toby Raphael, General Manager at Albion Fine Foods, said:
“After a period of consolidation post-Covid, we recognised the need for a sustainable, well-connected property that would provide us the opportunity to build on our first five years and improve operations for all our customers across London, the South East and further afield.”
“Goodman’s Crossways 138 was the ideal choice, blending a strategic location with a high-quality facility equipped with the latest building technologies. This will support our mission to deliver greater operational efficiency and provide best-in-class customer service.”
The warehouse is ideal for companies distributing fresh food, featuring a carbon-neutral cladding system designed to support temperature-controlled storage and provide optimal environmental conditions to store a range of products.
Harry Jennings, Finance Director at Albion Fine Foods, added:
“The opportunity to achieve a high level of energy efficiency using on-site renewables was also a major draw. Not only do sustainable features assist us in achieving our environmental goals, but they will create cost savings by enabling us to use renewable energy for energy-intensive temperature-controlled storage.”
George Glennie, development director at Goodman, said:
“Delivering high-quality, sustainable properties that can increase productivity and optimise supply chain efficiency for our customers, are key at Goodman.
“The last mile is responsible for more than 40% of delivery costs, making proximity to customers essential for businesses like Albion Fine Foods. At Crossways 138, we’re able to deliver space that places the company on its customers’ doorsteps, supporting them to drive greater efficiencies and reduce the cost of the last leg of the supply chain.”
With two properties now leased at Crossways Commercial Park, just one warehouse remains, offering 240,884 sq ft of well-connected logistics space.
