Defence company expands to take Logistics 175
French defence company MBDA, which already operates a factory within Logistics North, has signed for the neighbouring 175,000 sq ft distribution facility, it is understood.
Along with some of the Multiply buildings brought forward by Harworth and partner Lancashire County Pension Fund, Logistics 175 is the only available building at Logistics North, which has dominated large-scale industrial lettings activity in the North West in recent years.
Defence supplier MBDA was the second occupier after Aldi to commit to the Logistics North scheme, signing for an eight-acre site on which it built out a £50m, 100,000 sq ft facility that was opened in July 2018, replacing the group’s existing site in Lostock.
MBDA said then that the site would “significantly improve MBDA’s design, test and production capabilities, securing the UK’s and the company’s world-leading status in complex weapons technologies, as well as leading manufacturing capabilities in the North West for the next 25 years and beyond”.
Place North West understands that the company had been considering the Logistics 175 building for more than a year before taking its decision in late 2018, with terms said to be around £6.75 per sq ft. Fit out is now being undertaken.
Logistics North, at the former Cutacre colliery site close to junction 4 of the M61, was granted outline consent for 4m sq ft of development in December 2013. Occupiers to have signed at the development include Amazon, Whistl, Lidl and Joy Group, while the site also includes a Greene King pub, a Costa drive-thru and an Aldi store.
The Multiply joint venture has now delivered 434,000 sq ft in two phases since being agreed in 2017, 158,000 of which is now accounted for, the latest deal seeing bathroom supplier PJH Group take 63,000 sq ft.
Joint agents on the project are B8RE, JLL and Knight Frank. The lettings team was approached for comment.