Rexel UK agrees 184,000 Sq ft Pre-Let at Symmetry Park Aston Clinton, Aylesbury

Published by

Nicky Godding

Tritax Symmetry has signed a 15-year pre-let of 184,000 sq ft to Rexel UK at the second phase at Symmetry Park, Aston Clinton.

The building will represent Rexel’s largest distribution centre in the country and will be used to strengthen the electrical distributor’s network, especially across London, the South East and the South West. The new distribution centre, located between Aylesbury and Tring, is in addition to Rexel’s other existing sites and will upgrade the offering available.

This building forms one of three which are being speculatively developed as part of the second phase at Symmetry Park, Aston Clinton. Last September, cosmetics company Pangaea Laboratories pre let an 92,850 sq ft unit on a 15-year lease. The third and final building of the speculative second phase extends to 115,000 sq ft with this phase of construction due to complete Q3 2022.

Christian Matthews, Director at Tritax Symmetry, said: “It is a pleasure to welcome Rexel into our portfolio during a period of high growth for their operations. To have let two of our three speculatively developed buildings on phase two prior to practical completion, shows the strength of the occupational market in this area of the UK.

“Symmetry Park, Aston Clinton is an excellent option for businesses looking for a high-quality facility with excellent access to London and the South. Our net zero carbon commitment appealed to Rexel and we are pleased to have once again brought in an occupier into our portfolio whose sustainable values very much mirror our own.”

Edgar Aponte, CEO at Rexel UK, added, “This distribution centre is a testimony to Rexel Group’s investment for the future and is a major milestone for us.

“We remain committed to delivering the best quality electrical products and solutions, and are always looking ahead to see how we can improve the customer experience.

“This distribution centre will serve our branches and customers even better, by ensuring speed and agility of our operations and provide greater product availability.

“We all know wholesale is a fast-paced world. The need for speed, flexibility and agility in the market is higher than ever before, so whilst we have designed a facility to meet the changing market needs, we will never forget the local touch.”

The site, which benefits from planning consent for both logistics and film studio use, is fully serviced with roads and utilities with a substantial power supply (up to 6 MVA) available. Situated directly alongside the A41, the 46-acre site provides prominence for occupiers and excellent transport links to the M25 J20, national motorway and trunk road network.

Phase one for the site achieved the pre-let of Unit 1 (83,831 sq ft) to Global Infusion Group in November 2019 and two further units of 56,034 sq ft and 112,148 sq ft let to MBS Equipment UK Ltd in August 2020.

The project team includes Readie Construction, Coventry-based AJA Architects, Banbury-based Framptons Town planning and Savills Project Managers.

Savills and Braiser Freeth are joint letting agents for the scheme.

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.