Warehouse's 22nd Auckland Shed

Coran Lill

Friday 23rd April 2004

Discount chain The Warehouse plans to add another of its Red Shed stores to the Auckland region potentially its largest yet following an $11.3 million property purchase in Royal Oak.

The Warehouse Group fended off stiff competition from 16 other tenderers under the mortgagee sale, LJ Hooker Commercial general manager Aaron Toresen, said.

He said it was "really close between a couple of main contenders."

Three titles were bought by the group in the suburb  the largest being 2.2ha at 100 Pah Rd. The total land was 2.4 ha.

The group will meet the Auckland City Council to discuss resource consent during the next week.

The listed group has 20 stores and 12 stationary outlets in the Auckland area and will open another Red Shed on May 6 in Henderson.

The last Red Shed to open in Auckland was in November 2000 at Auckland airport.

A decision had not been made about when building would start at the Royal Oak site or whether existing buildings would be demolished, The Warehouse's property director, Glen Inger, said.

He said he envisaged the property being a "large to medium" store but had the potential to be one of the biggest.

How large the store was would depend on demographics, he said.

However, he described the demographic as "very strong."

The area would catch consumers in the suburbs of Royal Oak, Onehunga, Hillsborough and Three Kings, he said.

The properties went unconditional on April 1, with settlement taking place on April 14.

They were sold by LJ Hookers' agent Denis Somers.

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