JD Sports has signed a lease with warehouse developer Panattoni for a 514,000 sq ft unit at Derby Commercial Park.
The sports fashion retailer has agreed to take the huge building, called Derby 515, which Panattoni was building speculatively on the 900,000 sq ft development at Raynesway, two miles east of Derby.
Panattoni, which is reported to be the world’s largest privately-owned industrial developer, said it is one of the biggest single-unit speculative buildings currently being built in the UK.
Another unit at the park, called Derby 370, was let at the beginning of this year to Alloga UK, which provides logistics to manufacturers in the pharmaceutical, medical device, health & beauty and veterinary sectors.
JD Sports has signed a 20-year lease for the facility, which has high environmental ratings, 56 dock doors and parking for 185 trailers. It is expected to be completed at the end of the year.
Derby Commercial Park is 11 miles from East Midlands Airport, the UK’s largest cargo airport, and within easy HGV reach of East Midlands Maritime, DIRFT and Hams Hall rail freight terminals and ports such as Liverpool in the north west, Felixstowe on the east coast, London Gateway and Southampton.
Andy Preston, development director at Panattoni, said: “This letting reflects the strength of demand from occupiers for immediately available space and the location of the facility, which has excellent transport links and a very large, suitably skilled workforce in one of the UK’s centres for advanced logistics”.
Letting agents are Avision Young, CBRE and Burbage Realty. CBRE acted for JD Sports.
Work started on the building in the spring when Panattoni said it would have space for 500 workers.
