Tungsten Properties, one of the UK’s leading industrial and warehouse developers, has let its new 246,134 sq ft net zero carbon industrial unit in Warrington to Farmfoods, the British frozen food and grocery supermarket chain, which has taken the building on a 25-year lease.
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.
Super W is situated in an established distribution warehouse location at the intersection of the M6 and M56 motorways, just four miles south of Warrington town centre. Manchester Airport is within a 14-minute drive and Liverpool airport within a 26-minute drive time. The unit was funded, and is to be retained, by British Airways Pension Trustees Ltd.
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. The building is rated BREEAM Very Good and achieved Net Zero Carbon Accreditation.
Ashleigh Hayes, associate development director, Tungsten Properties said: “We warmly welcome Farmfoods to their new distribution centre and wish them continued success as they deliver for their ever-expanding customer base. 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: “Tungsten has again delivered an exceptional project resulting in securing a significantly long lease for this prime space. Farmfoods is a great example of a rapidly growing company needing new, large distribution space in the north-west.
“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 sq ft+ 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.
