Atterbury, property investor and developer, is developing a new 24,000m² distribution centre (DC) for Takealot, South Africa’s largest online retailer, in Richmond Park, Milnerton, Cape Town. Takealot will begin operating from its Richmond Park DC from 1 August 2022.
Construction of the 24,000m² facility consisting of 22,000m² of warehouse and 2,000m² of offices, has already commenced. The facility has been designed to provide Takealot with expansion options to add an additional 50,000m² of warehousing to the initial phase, which would increase its size to more than 70,000m².
The new Takealot DC is designed for sustainability and will feature a dedicated solar PV installation, energy-efficient lighting systems, rainwater harvesting and water-saving xeriscape landscaping. The cross-dock facility will provide clear racking height of up to 18 metres and specialised floors.
Takealot’s Customer Collection Centre of 6,700m², which includes expansion opportunities with the potential to grow to 17,000m², is also under construction at Richmond Park. The Takealot Customer Collection Centre will be ready for Takealot to begin trading in March 2022.
Arno du Plessis, Atterbury’s Western Cape development manager, says, “We are excited to extend our relationship with Takealot for its second premises at Richmond Park, and especially for a landmark distribution centre of this scale.”
The new DC, located in Richmond Park’s northern precinct, will be less than a kilometre from the Customer Collection Centre in the retail-focused southern precinct of the park. It is also a couple of kilometres from the Takealot large logistics centre in nearby Montague Park, reinforcing the online retailers’ presence in the area.
Ryan Winkelman, Distribution Centre Development Manager at Takealot.com, comments, “Our distribution centre locations are carefully selected. Ensuring a first-rate delivery network with strategic distribution centre locations, like Richmond Park, coupled with a fit-for-purpose building design that has the opportunity to expand, will play a key role in achieving Takealot’s long-term growth ambitions.”
Exceptional transport accessibility is provided at Richmond Park, with extensive road upgrades facilitating easy access from both the N1 and N7 highways. It is the ideal point for Takealot to easily and efficiently link into the Western Cape’s logistics infrastructure and connect with its customers.
Richmond Park is an 84ha site that is part of a milestone land restitution settlement. The land is owned by the Richmond Park Communal Property Association (CPA) – a group of 401 families representing 5,300 people spanning five generations – who were forcibly removed from it between 1972 and 1984. In 2014, the land was transferred back to the CPA.
The Richmond Park Community leased the land to the Richmond Park Development Company and has a shareholding in the development company. It is among the largest property developments in Cape Town, with 300,000m2 of greenfield mixed-use development rights. Its major shareholders are Atterbury, Old Mutual Properties, the Richmond Park CPA as well as Qubic 3 Dimensional Property, Bethel Property and Atlantis.
With its 27-year track record of delivering excellent tailor-made development solutions in SA and internationally, Atterbury is developing the multibillion Rand Richmond Park for its shareholders.
Atterbury’s Western Cape head of developments, Gerrit van den Berg, says, “We couldn’t be more pleased that Takealot has chosen Richmond Park for its new DC. We are proud to be associated with this excellent South African business. Both Takealot and Richmond Park have their own inspiring growth stories, and we are excited that they will write the next chapter of their growth together.”
In addition to Takealot, other leading names that have chosen to operate from Richmond Park include Aramex, Cape Fruit Coolers, CTM, Mustek, Scoop, ACDC Dynamics, Corex, Sequence Logistics, Getworth, Rubicon, We Buy Cars and Richmond Corner’s convenience centre.
