Allied Express commits to new facility at Bankstown Airport

Courier and express freight company Allied Express has committed to a 10-year lease for a purpose-built distribution centre and head office at Aware Super’s Bankstown Airport estate in Sydney’s south west.

The new facility spans 19,980 sqm, featuring 18,000 sqm of warehouse space and 1,980 sqm of corporate office space spread across two floors. It also incorporates drive through access, including the ability for loading and unloading on two sides of the distribution centre.

Founded in 1978, Allied Express is Australia’s largest independently owned courier and freight company, with clients including Kmart, Rebel and LG.

Allied Express will join Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, Sydney Freezers, Beijer Ref Australia and eStore Logistics at the Altitude industrial estate, which is owned by Aware Super and has been developed in partnership with asset manager Altis Property Partners.

Related: Major players commit to Bankstown Airport logistics hub

The company’s expansion marks one of the latest deals fuelled by the boom in e-commerce and online shopping seen throughout the pandemic.

“We’re delighted to have secured this new purpose-built facility at Bankstown Airport,” said Michelle McDowell, Managing Director at Allied Express.

“Over the past two years we’ve experienced rapid growth in our e-commerce offerings. With that in mind, access to central Sydney is a critical factor for us,” McDowell said.

“Altitude’s prime location not only provides us with fast and efficient access to the Sydney metro area, but it also provides us with access to all of the major arterial roads, boosting efficiency in our distribution network up and down the country,” she said.

She continued that they are thrilled to consolidate their head office and state distribution centre into one combined facility and look forward to creating further efficiencies across their operation.

The $600 million Altitude estate features 162,000 sqm of best-in-class warehousing and office accommodation, with direct access to the M5 motorway, Sydney CBD, Port Botany and the new Western Sydney Airport.

Joseph Ajaka, Project Director at Altis Property Partners, said that the rise in e-commerce continues to fuel consumer demand for faster, reliable and more flexible delivery options and an increasing need for organisations to commit to centrally located, state-of-the-art distribution centres.

Allied Express’ new facility is also targeting a 5 Star Green Star rating, with sustainability initiatives such as rainwater harvesting and solar power.

It will also feature a custom-built state-of-the-art sortation system to handle bulk items such as sofas, kayaks and other sporting equipment.

“This new facility at Altitude will offer Allied Express unrivalled access to world-class amenities at the centre of a thriving and growing destination,” said Daniel Jarosch, CEO of Sydney Metro Airports.

“We are delighted to have such a well-respected Australian family business join the precinct at Bankstown Airport and look forward to providing Allied Express with enhanced supply chain efficiencies and reduced transport costs at the heart of Sydney’s south western transport corridor,” Jarosch said.

Alek Misev, Aware Super’s Senior Portfolio Manager – Property, said that as the owner of this asset, they could see it had wonderful potential from the outset.

“It’s great to see yet another fast-growing and forward-thinking company in Allied Express sharing in that vision,” Miksev said.

“Altitude is another terrific example of how we can invest to deliver strong long-term returns for our members while having a positive economic and community impact – supporting jobs growth and delivering invaluable business infrastructure,” he said.

“With its prime location, Altitude has enormous appeal for businesses in the logistics industry because of its capacity to help them improve operational efficiencies. While Allied Express is the latest company to take advantage of this opportunity, many more will follow.”

The site is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2022.