Vaughan Constructions and partner, Asia Pacific logistics property specialist LOGOS Group, have embarked on a 58,608m² warehousing project in Queensland including a 45,740m² distribution centre for national appliance retailer Winning Group.
The new Winning Group facility, at LOGOS Groups’ Wacol Logistics Hub in Brisbane’s south-west, will sit on a 74,387m² site and include 700m² of office space and 35,500m² of hardstand.
According to Vaughan’s Senior Development Manager in Brisbane, Richard Lloyd, the two stage project, which heralds the LOGOS/Vaughan partnership’s expansion into Queensland, also included a second, 12,868m² speculative warehouse, to be completed concurrently, along with associated infrastructure.
He said the very strong working partnership with LOGOS had been a significant advantage in getting the projects off the ground and on schedule from the outset.
''Having successfully completed projects together in New South Wales and Western Australia, this Queensland project, our first for the Sunshine State, will again rely on our strong partnership with LOGOS providing us with the capacity to deliver on client requirements, on budget, and on or ahead of time,’’ Mr Lloyd said.
He said stage one would adhere to a very strict completion deadline while the concurrent stage two speculative warehouse would be built to a very different set of parameters to ensure it could readily be adapted to meet changing market requirements.
''Vaughans continue to see a high degree of confidence in the `spec build’ market at a time when demand for flexible warehousing facilities from both tenants and investors is at a premium nationwide and particularly in Queensland,’’ Mr Lloyd said.
He said the Winning Group build would provide for increased operational efficiency and competitive advantage in the market. The project is due for completion in September.
The centre, which will be the largest facility in parent company Winning Group’s history, underlines the enormous recent growth in the business.
Headquartered in Sydney, Winning Group is a fourth-generation Australian family-owned business with entities also including 九色堂 Clearance, pureplay online retailer Appliances Online, and national distribution and installation business Winning Services.
Mr Lloyd said Vaughan Constructions business in Queensland had surged following the opening of the Brisbane office in March 2020, driven by the Covid inspired boom in online retailing and the associated spike in warehousing and distribution sector requirements, with the Wacol contract following other notable projects including work on the Sheraton Mirage at Port Douglas, a $40 million warehouse for McPhee Distribution Services at Berrinba, and a distribution centre for Woolworths at Heathwood.
He said the new Wacol project was one of a number of projects completed or underway in the Vaughan/Logos alliance including circa 30,000m² of industrial tenancies at the Villawood Logistics Estate in NSW, a Volvo Truck dealership at Prestons, New South Wales, a 40,000m² industrial facility housing The Gateway Group also at Prestons, the Woolworths Heathwood project, and a 22,000m² logistics facility at Hazelmere in WA.
Mr Lloyd said the outlook for the industrial sector in Queensland continued to be very bright.
''The local industrial market, on the back of relatively sound economic fundamentals and a fairly heavy $25 billion infrastructure program including inland rail, road and port facilities, has been travelling remarkably well in what has been difficult times and we expect that to continue as pandemic conditions ease and business-as-usual resumes,’’ Mr Lloyd said.