Furnolic picks Prologis Park Ryton for net zero DC

Prologis, the developer and owner of logistics parks, has agreed a lease with global e-commerce business, Furnolic Co. Ltd, the UK subsidiary of Ziel Group, for the latest unit at Prologis Park Ryton in Warwickshire.

The 10-year lease for the 148,461 sq ft (13,800 sq m) unit is Furnolic’s first physical site in the UK. The Chinese e-commerce business, which also trades under the name Songmics, Vasagle and Feandrea, specialises in homeware, furniture and pet furniture and is one of the largest global retailers on Amazon, operating across the US (Ameziel), Germany (Euziel), Japan (Zieljp), France, Spain, Italy, Canada, and Mexico.

Prologis Park Ryton is one of the most sought-after industrial and logistics locations in the UK, with current occupiers including Jaguar Land Rover, DHL and LEVC. The location has six major motorways within 14 miles of the park, along with a labour force of almost 900,000 people in a 30-minute radius. Once occupied, the new building will create 20-30 new jobs for the local area.

Tom Price, capital leasing & development director, at Prologis UK, said: “This is an important milestone for Furnolic as they secure their first location in the UK, and we are delighted to be welcoming another occupier to this prime logistics site. Furnolic is a valued global Prologis customer, and we are aiming to make the move to the new site a seamless and positive experience for the business.

“The attractiveness of Prologis Park Ryton, and the Midlands in general, as a location for logistics facilities, is clear. Companies of all shapes and sizes are recognising the value that the area holds as a means of expanding or further strengthening their e-commerce and delivery operations.”

Tong Wang, director at Furnolic, said: “We are very happy to be working with Prologis to set up our first logistics site in UK, which will provide better service to our customers in the UK, as well as in Europe. It is of great significance for us to expand our business in the European and global markets.”

Like every Prologis warehouse constructed in the UK for the past 13 years, DC8 at Prologis Park Ryton is net zero carbon in construction (based on the UKGBC net zero carbon framework).

Through a partnership with Planet Mark and climate action charity, Cool Earth, Prologis has measured and reduced the building’s whole life carbon footprint and mitigated five times the unavoidable embodied carbon emissions (carbon associated with the construction of the building) by protecting vital areas of rainforest.

As a result, DC8 is protecting 107 acres of rainforest canopy in the Peruvian Amazon, locking in almost 35,000 tonnes of carbon, protecting 24,000 trees, and supporting 652 indigenous people who are empowered to protect the rainforest.

Prologis is also constructing a further 330,770 sq ft (30,700 sq m) unit at Prologis Park Ryton, which is the last remaining plot. This unit is available to let and will be completed in August 2022.