Freedom signs 10-year lease at Frasers Property Industrial’s Rubix Connect estate

Frasers Property Industrial has secured a 10-year lease with major Australian furniture and homewares retail chain, Freedom, at its Rubix Connect estate in Melbourne’s Dandenong South.

Freedom, a portfolio company of Greenlit Brands, has committed to a 14,847 square metre facility comprising a 14,320 square metre storage and distribution warehouse and a 527 square metre office space. With the Freedom lease, Rubix Connect will have approximately 15 hectares of developable land remaining.

Freedom’s new built-to-suit warehousing and distribution facility will feature a 34 metre hardstand with full width super awning, a 13.7 metre ridge height clearance, 12 recessed loading docks and three roller shutter doors.

Designed to target a 5 Star Green Star Design and As-Built v1.3 rating from the Green Building Council of Australia, the facility will incorporate sustainability features including rainwater harvesting, solar photovoltaic panels, energy efficient sensor lighting for offices and warehouse areas, and solar-heated hot water. Landscaping will include native plants with a drip irrigation system and a dedicated green wall to help minimise local heat island effects.

The Freedom facility is being built by CIP Constructions and is due for completion in June 2023, with an adjacent 11,410 square metre speculative development, which is being constructed simultaneously.

Strategically positioned in Melbourne’s burgeoning southeast industrial region, Rubix Connect has excellent road linkages to EastLink (M3), Frankston – Dandenong Road, South Gippsland Highway and Taylors Road. The estate connects customers to critical infrastructure, including the intermodal freight terminal which will improve connectivity to The Port of Melbourne, Melbourne Airport and the Melbourne CBD.

Other customers at the 41.3-hectare Rubix Connect estate include The Décor Corporation, Ozito Industries Pty Ltd, efm Logistics, The Nolan Group and Zenexus.

Andrew Hanna, General Manager Victoria, Frasers Property Industrial, comments, “Freedom’s commitment to our Rubix Connect estate in Dandenong South is the latest of seven pre-commitments completed in Victoria’s persistently tight market since January 2022, marking more than 100,000 sqm of industrial space leased throughout the period. The agreement also furthers Frasers Property Industrial’s existing national partnership with parent company Greenlit Brands, which has leased a 18,869 sqm facility at our Horsley Drive Business Park estate in New South Wales since 2017.

We look forward to fostering a strong and an enduring partnership with Freedom, as we work closely together to deliver their modern facility.”

Pascal Kouknas, General Manager Logistics Operations and Information, Freedom, said, “We are proud to partner with Frasers Property Industrial who are delivering our purpose-built facility for our operations. As one of Australia’s most established furniture and homeware brands, we are always seeking ways to boost our customer experience. This new facility will add to our distribution network, which in turn contributes to a reduction in delivery lead times as we get our goods straight to the doors of our customers as quickly as possible.”

The Freedom lease deal was brokered by Gordon Code from Colliers.

Gordon Code, National Director, Colliers, comments, “Rubix Connect is one of the few remaining vacant land opportunities in Melbourne’s southeast which is zoned for industrial usage. With unrivalled access and connectivity to Eastlink, Dandenong Road, The Port of Melbourne and the Melbourne CBD, the estate is located in a highly sought-after industrial corridor that is experiencing high demand from the market.”