Asda is paying £4m for a 6.47ha (16 acre) site at CNT’s Brackmills scheme in Northampton for its 27,500 sq m (296,000 sq ft) national non-food distribution warehouse.
The decision comes as a blow to Land Securities and Barwood, developers of the 11,240 sq m (121,000 sq ft) Centurion Park Distribution Centre in Tamworth. The pair had been in discussions with Asda since November.
Asda picked the Brackmills site, which has room for a 27,870 sq m (300,000 sq ft) development, ahead of an existing building at Centurion Park. Even with an extension, the Tamworth shed would have been just too small to fit Asda’s needs.
“Once Asda decided to increase its requirement to 27,870 sq m (300,000 sq ft) we weren’t able to do it. The limit was about 25,083 sq m (270,000 sq ft),” said Des Wynne of Land Securities.
The CNT site was secured by Gazeley Properties for McLagan Investments – a subsidiary of ASDA Group plc – and a phased hand over will begin in July.
“Only Brackmills offered the size of site required within the target area,” confirmed Alan Curtis, Gazeley’s property director. “CNT out-performed time targets which we set and Northampton Borough Council dealt with our proposal in only seven weeks. The distribution centre at Brackmills will complement the existing ASDA network.”
The building will be a distribution centre for ASDA’s clothing range. It will have 15 metres clear internal height, 3,345 sq m (36,000 sq ft) of offices and have a mezzanined garment handling system.
Centurion Park will now be remarketed with a new line-up of letting agents. Fuller Peiser replaces local firm Proctor Knight while Oliver Liggins and Matthews & Goodman are retained. Wynne explained: “We needed the benefit of a national presence. It is a national distribution centre and site.” The quoting rent is £53.28 per sq m (£4.95 per sq ft).
CNT was advised by DTZ Debenham Thorpe and Lambert Smith Hampton. ASDA will retain the finished development.
EGi News 18/02/1997
