Charter Hall secures 10-year lease with QLS Logistics as online retailing booms

Charter Hall Group (Charter Hall or the Group) has secured a 10-year pre-lease agreement with national warehouse and distribution firm QLS Logistics (QLS) in its new 21,810 square meter (sqm) logistics facility in Huntingwood. Offering executive office space and a high clearance warehouse facility, the development is currently under construction and scheduled for practical completion in June 2022.

QLS, which services the white and brown goods industries, will occupy the entire Huntingwood facility, where it will benefit from the facility’s amenities and flexible space, which has been designed to facilitate the business’s needs to meet high volumes of online purchases.

Charter Hall CEO of Industrial and Logistics, Richard Stacker, said, “We are pleased to be extending our relationship with QLS Logistics into the New South Wales market, building on our existing long-term partnership in Queensland. This deal further advances our Western Sydney portfolio, with development on our Light Horse Logistics Hub in Eastern Creek also now underway.

“Demand for well-located, high quality, modern warehouse and distribution facilities continues to grow, driven in large part by the significant rise in e-commerce – a trend which has only been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The needs of our tenant customers in this space are changing to keep up with consumer demand for fast, reliable shipping and delivery of goods. We have seen this flow through to record leasing levels across our national portfolio including strong pre-leasing demand on our land holdings.”

QLS Logistics Executive Chairman, Sandy McGregor, said, “With the rise of e-commerce and advancements in track and trace technology, our warehousing needs have also continued to evolve. Charter Hall’s development plans for the Huntingwood facility will deliver a modern facility that will enable us to maintain our high standard for warehousing and logistics services and invest in advanced solutions to support our customers’ success.”

Huntingwood East Logistics Park, the site of the new QLS facility, was bought by Charter Hall funds CPIF and CLP in May 2019. Located at 421-427 Flushcombe Road, Huntingwood, the site is located 28 kilometres west of the Sydney CBD and offers immediate access to the M4 Motorway and Great Western Highway.

The facility will include 21,270sqm of warehouse space and 540sqm of office space across two floors. It will also meet Charter Hall’s high standard for sustainability, targeting a 5-star Green Star rating, and will include rainwater and daylight harvesting, LED lighting and a 500kw PV solar array.

Charter Hall’s industrial pipeline now includes $3 billion in industrial projects, as the company looks to further explore opportunities in the prime Western Sydney industrial market. Sites still available for lease in the area include Light Horse Business Hub, Glendenning Logistics Estate and Horsley Drive Business Park, all located in highly sought-after industrial precincts.