GYM Plus trebles Melbourne occupancy after COVID-19 led boom

Products offered by online retailer GYM Plus, which has trebled its Melbourne occupancy because of demand following social distancing measures.

Another Melbourne business is expanding following federal government social distancing measures introduced last month.

GYM Plus, an online sports equipment retailer, has leased a newly completed industrial duplex at 22 Furlong Street, Cranbourne West, 40 kilometres south east of the city.

The 1114 square metre complex will replace a 350 sqm premises at 19 Cornhill Street, Ferntree Gully – which is about 30 kilometres north of its next local base.

CVA managing director Ian Angelico said the tenant more than tripled it occupancy “to cater for its strong increase in online sales that have occurred since COVID-19”.

GYM Plus will be the first occupier at the newly completed 2/22 Furlong Street, Cranbourne West.

The Cranbourne West property is close to Thompson Road and Western Port Highway.

GYM Plus has signed on at 2/22 Furlong Street for three years at annual rental of $92,000, or $82.59 per sqm. In 2023, it will be presented with a three year renewal option.

The factory is within a 445-hectare employment zone, Cranbourne West Industrial Precinct, which is master-planned by City of Casey.

Cranbourne has been regarded a major activity centre in state government planning documents for more than 30 years.

Major housing estates in the area include Lochaven by Dahua Group and Peet’s Lumeah. Wolfdene is developing Bompton Life in Cranbourne South.

GYM Plus also operates out of a facility in Perth’s Canning Vale (story continues below).

Businesses booming since social distancing driving Melbourne property deals

Early this month another business cited a social distancing led boom for paying $9.1 million for Repco’s former headquarters, now vacant, in Melbourne’s south east Mulgrave, which it intends to occupy.

CBRE’s recently released research report, Australian Online Meal Delivery and Dark Kitchens, said while the meal delivery economy has been growing for some time, it has been thriving this year.

Deliveroo is the only multinational provider of dark kitchens to operate in Australia (globally it has 250 of them across 35 cities).

In an alleyway behind Chapel Street in Windsor, in Melbourne’s inner south east, the facility opened in 2017 and is currently being used by restaurants including Kong, Messina and 8Bit.

“The site, which includes two full-scale professional kitchens and a large waiting room with phone chargers and an order display screen for Deliveroo’s riders, was built and fitted out by Deliveroo, then leased free-of-charge to restaurants and other brands,” CBRE national director of Retail Leasing, Leif Olson, said.

The broker added that brands pay nothing upfront, but Deliveroo charges them a higher commission on orders placed through the Deliveroo app.

Late last year an industrial property at 6-8 Pitt Street, Brunswick was rented and is now used as a dark kitchen servicing Melbourne’s inner north.

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Marc Pallisco

A former property analyst and print journalist, Marc is the publisher of realestatesource.com.au.