Dunelm snaps up brand new warehouse at Prologis RFI DIRFT

Homeware retailer Dunelm has taken a 189,214 ft2 warehouse at Prologis’ 7 million ft2 DIRFT III development in the East Midlands.

The retailer has taken a 10-year lease and is set to move in once construction completes in September this year. The move supports Dunelm’s focus on innovating and improving its customer proposition, as well as the growth in home delivery and click & collect operations as a result of the pandemic.

Dunelm’s new building will also reflect the company’s ambitious targets around sustainability and carbon reduction, with a target EPC ‘A’ rating and features such as 15% roof lights, rainwater harvesting, and LED lighting. The building has also had its environmental credentials certified by The Planet Mark and is mitigating 100% of the embodied carbon involved in its construction. Thanks to Prologis’ partnership with climate action charity, Cool Earth, the construction of DIRFT III DC4 will help protect 136 acres of rainforest, over 30,000 trees, and support 652 people in Sololo, Southern Papua New Guinea.

Steve Barton, director of property at Dunelm Group PLC, said: “We are very pleased to expand our operations to DC4 at DIRFT and work with Prologis again in fulfilment of a key logistics requirement.”

Tom Price, capital deployment and leasing associate at Prologis UK, said: “Prologis has a longstanding relationship with Dunelm, so it’s brilliant to be working with the company again and helping to expand its operations at DIRFT.”

The new facility at DIRFT was part of Prologis’ speculative development programme launched last year. Price continued: “To let DC4 in advance of the building’s completion shows just how strong demand in the market is for well-located logistics facilities, close to vital road and rail links.” Prologis has said it will be looking at further speculative development at DIRFT III due to the increased demand from occupiers across the board.