Tungsten Properties, one of the UK’s leading industrial and warehouse developers, and L&G have secured the first letting at AXIS 5, Lichfield South, with Tropicana Wholesale, one of the UK’s leading distributors of health, wellness and sports nutrition supplements, to agree a 10-year lease on the development’s largest unit.
Tropicana Wholesale (Tropicana Health & Fitness) has pre-let unit 2 which comprises 44,899 sq ft (4,171 sq m), at the industrial and logistics development on Lichfield South Business Park.
The family-owned company that was established in 1980 and stocks more than 200 brands, will relocate its 50 staff from Minworth Industrial Estate in Sutton Coldfield.
The agreement marks a significant milestone for the scheme and underlines the continued demand for well-located, sustainable industrial accommodation in the Midlands.
Currently under construction by Magrock, AXIS 5, Lichfield South totals 8.8 acres and will provide a total of approximately 140,000 sq m (13,042 sq m) of Grade A industrial and logistics space across five units. Practical completion of the whole scheme is scheduled for September 2026.
Units 3, 4 and 5 remain available and can provide space ranging from 13,306 sq ft to 31,416 sq ft and unit 1 is under offer.
The development is being delivered to the highest sustainability standards to target BREEAM Excellent and EPC A ratings along with providing solar PV panels, EV charging infrastructure and high-quality landscaped surroundings.
The scheme benefits from a strategic location just two miles south of Lichfield city centre and adjacent to the A38 and A5 to provide excellent connectivity to the M6 Toll, M6 and wider Midlands’ motorway network.
David Mole, development director, Tungsten Properties, said: “Securing a pre-let on the largest unit at AXIS 5, Lichfield South prior to completion is a significant endorsement of both the quality of the development and the strength of occupier demand in the micro-location. We are delighted to welcome Tropicana Wholesale to the scheme and look forward to delivering a first-class facility that supports the next phase of their growth.
“This letting demonstrates that businesses continue to seek modern, sustainable industrial space in strategic locations. We have received encouraging levels of interest in the remaining units and are confident that the scheme will continue to attract high-quality occupiers as construction progresses towards completion in September 2026.”
Debbie Butlin, chief operations officer, Tropicana Wholesale, added: “AXIS 5, Lichfield South provides an excellent platform for the continued growth of our business. The new facility will significantly increase our warehousing and distribution capacity, allowing us to hold a broader range and greater depth of stock, improving product availability for our customers while supporting increased volumes and future growth.
“The location also gives us excellent access to our customer base and distribution networks across the UK, helping us maintain the high levels of service our customers expect, including same-day dispatch on orders placed by 4pm. The specification of the building also closely aligns with both our operational requirements and sustainability ambitions.”
The additional capacity will also support the rollout of TropAutomate, Tropicana Wholesale’s new automated vending replenishment service for national gym chains and independent gyms. Once connected, TropAutomate uses sales data from individual vending machines to monitor stock against agreed minimum levels and automatically generate daily replenishment orders, removing the need for gym operators to manually monitor and reorder stock.
Stephen Ford, chief executive officer, Tropicana Wholesale, added: “This move represents a significant investment in the future of Tropicana Wholesale. By combining the additional capacity at Lichfield with our financial strength, we can invest further in stock, giving our customers greater choice and even better product availability.
“TropAutomate is also an important part of our growth plans. We see significant potential to make sports nutrition vending simpler and more efficient for our gym partners, helping them maximise the revenue opportunity without creating an additional administrative burden.
“For Tropicana Wholesale, it opens up an exciting new area of growth alongside our core wholesale business.”
Garrison Real Estate acted on behalf of Tungsten Properties and L&G in securing the letting. Garrison Real Estate and JLL are the leasing agents.
