Sysco's plans to develop its largest depot in Europe at Hemel 465, a former Amazon hub 25 miles from Central London, has secured Lease of the Year for East of England at the CoStar Impact Awards.
Recognised by an independent panel of industry professionals working in the local market, Sysco, the owner of foodservice wholesaler Brakes, is investing $100 million into the redevelopment of the former warehouse that will have "market leading technologies".
Judges recognised the deal for its level of job creation, with 850 roles expected to come from the opening of the shed. Sysco will spend the next 18 months adapting the warehouse to make it suitable for foodservice operation, including work to install frozen and chilled areas.
The circa 475,000-square-foot letting was the biggest of its kind in the South of England last year, with Brakes set for a 10-year stint at the property, which is owned by Murphy Investments.
About the project:
The existing building is 20 years old and will be fully refurbished by the landlord to bring it up to institutional specification to include new floor, new roof and a 2 megavolt-amperes power upgrade.
Improvements also include the ramping up of parking spaces, having previously been described as being "significantly under provided". The landlord has secured planning to build a 450-space multistorey car park.
The redeveloped shed is expected to be fully operational at the beginning of next year.
What the judges said:
Philip Silk, director at Graftongate Developments, said: "The building was originally damaged by the Buncefield explosion, remodelled for [Amazon] and now repurposed for Brakes. [It is] a really good example of adapting rather than rebuilding".
Helen Morris, director in the East of England team at RCA Regeneration, added: "[This should be recognised] due to the level of investment and job creation, plus re-use of an existing building."
They made it happen:
Mark Webster, equity partner at DTRE; William Abbott, director in the industrial team at CBRE; Hannah Stainforth, graduate in the national industrial agency team at CBRE.