A rendering of a building at Bridge Point 78, a planned 3.85 million-square-foot logistics park in Phillipsburg and Lopatcong — Courtesy: Bridge Development Partners
By Joshua Burd
Bridge Development Partners has lured a second tenant to its new logistics park in Warren County, inking a nearly 420,000-square-foot lease with a well-known beverage company.
The tenant, Mark Anthony Brands, will occupy one of six buildings that are slated for the 3.85 million-square-foot complex in Phillipsburg and Lopatcong. It will use the 419,640-square-foot facility to store and distribute White Claw, a line of hard seltzers that is one of its many popular beverages currently on the market.
Brokers from CBRE’s Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey offices represented Bridge in the seven-year lease at the site, known as Bridge Point 78. Dan Wilkins of Cushman & Wakefield’s Chicago office represented Mark Anthony Brands, whose portfolio also includes Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Mike’s Harder and Cayman Jack.
“We’re excited to welcome one of the country’s most diversified and successful beverage companies to Bridge Point 78, which will create up to 100 jobs for residents of Warren County and the surrounding area,” said Jeff Milanaik, Northeast region partner for Chicago-based Bridge. “This agreement helps further establish this area as an emerging hub for distribution and fulfillment services, and we look forward to bringing additional tenants aboard that can fuel continued economic growth across New Jersey and the Lehigh Valley.”
The lease will give way to the creation of 50 jobs initially and then 100 once the facility is fully operational, Bridge said, noting that Mark Anthony Brands will occupy the space later this spring. As part of the distribution network serving liquor stores that are open in New Jersey during the COVID-19 emergency, the operation has been deemed an essential business.
The deal also follows an announcement last fall that Uniqlo, the Japanese clothing maker, had leased around 975,000 square feet at Bridge Point 78. The company was the first major tenant at the high-profile project, which is redeveloping a sprawling former Ingersoll-Rand manufacturing complex that straddles the two municipalities.
Located near the Pennsylvania border, the site hugs Route 22 and provides a quick entrance to Interstate 78, offering access to both New York City and the Lehigh Valley. Milanaik said the abundance of local labor, savings from a payment in lieu of taxes agreement and unprecedented cooperation from local officials to expedite all inspections and approvals were also key to securing the lease with Mark Anthony Brands.
Bridge, Uniqlo ink major lease at 3.85 million sq. ft. industrial project in Warren County
