Construction of these speculative units commenced in November 2022 by Growthpoint’s award-winning in-house development team. The new units will range from 3,600 sqm to 5,700 sqm.

“The buildings are designed and developed to be clean and modern, yet stylish – speaking to the innovation-focused nature of the development. The first two units are expected to be ready for occupation by July 2023. Construction of a further three units is on the cards to commence mid-year and welcome tenants in the first half of 2024,” confirms Leon Labuschagne, Growthpoint’s Head of Industrial Development.

Centralpoint, a multi-million-Rand development that forms part of Growthpoint’s industrial portfolio, is an ideal response to the demand for property uses such as complex light industrial applications, state-of-the-art distribution centres and data centres.

The new units join the six developments in Growthpoint’s Centralpoint Innovation District completed to date. Growthpoint recently added a new tailor-made 5,750sqm premises for Beckman Coulter. It also completed the turnkey data centre development of NTT Johannesburg 1 Data Centre at Centralpoint Innovation District, on behalf of NTT Ltd. Group, the world-leading global technology services provider, represented in Africa and the Middle East by Dimension Data, the South African systems integrator and managed services provider. Other developments in the precinct include the 10,000sqm Bakers SA Limited’s warehouse, distribution facility and regional offices, and the 27,000sqm Sterling Industrial Park.

“Centralpoint Innovation District is attracting steady demand from quality businesses, from technology to medical and logistics. This unique precinct has come to represent the future of high-tech efficient and sustainable businesses, and we are really confident about continued tenant take-up,” says Errol Taylor, Head of Asset Management: Industrial at Growthpoint.

In addition to its excellent location, Centralpoint offers all the advantages of security, power availability, diverse fibre connectivity and a well-maintained public precinct managed by a dedicated property owners’ association.

The precinct’s full range of integrated services connects infrastructure and technology efficiently. It provides 24-hour precinct security with CCTV cameras, access control and street lighting. The precinct includes beautifully landscaped gardens which are fully maintained.

The buildings are optimised for flexibility, with each having its own open-plan office area. Warehouse spaces have a clear spring height of 11 metres. LED high bay lighting is provided to all warehouse spaces, and natural lighting will be enhanced by means of translucent sheeting on certain vertical sections of the facades. The warehouses will be fully sprinkler protected, with sprinkler systems connected to backup pumps and tanks. Power allocations from 147kVA to 212kVA are available.

In keeping with Growthpoint’s commitment to sustainable building practices, the focus is on creating efficient, cost-effective and sustainable buildings. All facilities include energy-efficient air conditioning and lighting and structural compliance for solar photovoltaic panels.

The Samrand node is superbly central, midway between Johannesburg and Pretoria. It is easily accessible from the N1, Gauteng’s major north-south arterial, and also offers easy east-west access, with O.R. Tambo International Airport being just 30 minutes away. The development is located in close proximity to established taxi and bus routes, and to the site of a future Gautrain station. Easy access to medical facilities, schools and large shopping centres further enhance its appeal.

Approximately 220,000 sqm of GLA is available in total for future innovation. Facilities can be custom-developed by Growthpoint to suit the specific requirements of clients, and the site has industrial, office and retail zoning in place.

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The group informed shareholders that its primary listing on the JSE and issued share capital will be unaffected by the secondary listing on A2X.

A2X is a licensed stock exchange authorised to provide a secondary listing venue for companies and is regulated by the South African Financial Sector Conduct Authority in terms of the Financial Markets Act 19 of 2012.

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Trade Park is a midi-unit industrial park comprising two phases of approximately 20,300sqm and 21,600sqm respectively. The highly successful Phase 1 was completed in 2019 and comprises 15 A-grade units ranging in size from 1,000 sqm to 2,000 sqm. Phase 2 broke ground at the end of January 2023 and comprises four new A-grade units ranging in size from 4,500 sqm to 6,500 sqm.

Located in the well-established area of Mount Edgecombe North on 52 Siphosetho Road, and close to large residential, industrial, and retail developments, the park provides easy access to the R102 and N2 freeways and is halfway between the busy Durban Harbour and King Shaka International Airport – about 20km from each.

Mount Edgecombe has quickly become an established logistics node, driven by the new C3 Corridor road and a dearth of new industrial land around Durban Harbour. The increasing growth of the nearby Cornubia development and the recent upgrading of the N2 and M41 interchange make access to this desirable location a strong drawcard.

Growthpoint Properties identified a gap in the market for midi- and maxi-units in the Mount Edgecombe area several years ago.

“Trade Park has been designed to meet this need with a first-class industrial park designed for businesses that rely on excellent transport access,” says Greg Worst, Growthpoint Properties Regional Head – KZN. “Strong take-up in Trade Park Phase 1 is a testament to the fact that it is fulfilling a real requirement in the market.”.

The precinct design is informed by a conscious decision to separate the various functions within Trade Park and thereby maintain clear routes and links for people and vehicles. The functionality of the warehouses, the movement of trucks, and industrial processes are all kept separate from the office links, where staff and visitors can move about freely.

“Separating the offices from the industrial processes allows for a different treatment of the office spaces, which include more contemporary features and materials. It also provides the opportunity to create more outward-focused offices which overlook green areas,” says Worst. Beautifully landscaped gardens within the precinct are all fully maintained.

The external form and aesthetic quality of the warehouses is simple, functional and modern with subtle touches to modulate the visual scale of the warehouses and elevate the aesthetic quality of the park.

Each warehouse will have its own offices and ablution facilities as well as cantilevered roof canopies to all roller shutter doors to ensure adequate weather protection at loading areas. 

Trade Park Phase 2 boasts extensive features, including 24/7 Security and access control, a three-phase power supply, roof heights of 14m to eaves, and automatic sprinkler systems spec’d for complete compliance.

Sustainable building practices ensure that every aspect of this development is efficient, cost-effective and sustainable. Energy efficient air-conditioning, lighting and structural compliance for solar panels have been included in the design.

“Environmental sustainability is at the core of Growthpoint’s business, and we are committed to integrating green building principles into all our developments,” Worst notes.

Trade Park’s energy-efficient features include a host of energy-efficient lighting solutions in the warehouses and office spaces, as well as in external and security areas. Its design allows for as much natural light as possible within the buildings, which helps reduce electricity costs, hot water heat pumps, roof insulation and external sun louvres, designed to reduce the energy needed for heating and cooling.

The first units at Trade Park Phase 2 are currently being leased and will be ready for occupation from October 2023.

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JSE-listed REIT, Octodec Investments Limited, today unveiled the new look and feel of its Shoprite building in the heart of the Tshwane CBD – an R60 million investment project announced in August 2022 to boost and uplift the bustling central node.

Jeffrey Wapnick, MD of Octodec, says, “This project cements our commitment to the City of Tshwane which continuously presents growth opportunities for our already dominant inner-city retail and residential portfolio. It represents a renewal of our relationship and an upgrade of our service to a city that is increasingly attracting national retailers”.

“We are excited to see this new building bring an elevated experience to our tenants, who have trusted us with quality developments that enhance their day-to-day lives. It is a value-adding project that will further deepen the trust and confidence our clients have in our inner-city knowledge, which bodes long-term relations”, added Wapnick.

While Shoprite continued to trade during the upgrade, tenants will now enjoy their daily shopping in a newly furbished 4000m² Shoprite supermarket which includes a new Shoprite Liquor and new retail shops on the ground floor.

In addition, the tenants will be exposed to other prominent brand-new architectural elements such as a triple volume entrance with escalator access from Helen Joseph Street, which lead downwards to the newly refurbished OK Furniture store.

A launch event was held with Shoprite staff celebrating the new building and exciting customer activities including prize giveaways from in-store suppliers and Shoprite branded promotional- items.

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Shareholders and noteholders are advised that GCR undertook a credit rating review of Octodec, as guarantor of wholly owned subsidiary Premium Properties Limited’s Domestic Medium-Term Note Programme dated 23 February 2015. On 21 February 2023, GCR reaffirmed the long-term national scale issuer rating assigned to Octodec of A-(za) and the short-term issuer rating of A2(za), with the outlook stable.

GCR’s credit rating announcement is publicly available on GCR’s website at https://gcrratings.com/announcements/gcr-affirms-octodec-investments-limiteds-issuer-ratings-of-a-za-a2za-with-a-stable-outlook/

Shareholders and noteholders can also contact Elize Greeff at elizeg@octodec.co.za to request an electronic version.

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With 13.5MWp of installed renewable energy generation across two dozen rooftop and carport solar plants and several MWp currently under construction, together with 332MW of generation potential from 330-plus backup generators, Growthpoint is helping to keep the lights on at nearly 3,000 South African businesses, big and small.

“At least 1,053 shops, 833 office tenants and 38 industrial tenants are in a position to continue operating through load shedding as a direct result of Growthpoint’s national energy management programme. In addition, all of the nearly 1,000 tenants of the V&A Waterfront, which Growthpoint co-owns, have full access to backup power from the precinct’s 48 generators,” reports Estienne de Klerk, Growthpoint Properties SA CEO Estienne de Klerk.

“In this way, Growthpoint is helping much of SA Inc avoid business disruption during power outages and, in the process, safeguarding businesses, jobs and livelihoods,” adds de Klerk.

Growthpoint provides generator backup power to just over 70% of its office portfolio by gross lettable area, offering standby power for a whopping 1.2 million square metres of offices with 223 generators, where state-of-the-art technology has been implemented to monitor diesel levels. It also has a supply chain of in-house capabilities and external providers working to keep them fuelled and operating.

In the remaining 30% of office space, most tenants have their own power solutions, or buildings are in areas that do not experience major load shedding, for instance, parts of Pretoria and Cape Town, near national key points. There are some office buildings without generators, and Growthpoint is reassessing these requirements.

At industrial properties, tenants generally use their own generators, however, Growthpoint provides backup power across three industrial parks in its portfolio, accommodating multiple tenants in 84,153 sqm.

Nine of Growthpoint’s malls have 100% backup power generation, with the tenth currently being added. At shopping centres, the complexity of the electrical reticulation often doesn’t allow a single source of backup power across an entire mall. Where this is the case, Growthpoint provides standby power to common areas. Larger retailers often have their own systems, and smaller tenants are encouraged to use their own battery-powered uninterrupted power supply (UPS).

“We know that fast food, sit-down restaurants, and some service tenants are particularly impacted by load-shedding. Wherever shopping centres are without 100% backup power but have additional standby capacity, to support these tenants we are adding them to shopping centres’ backups where possible,” notes de Klerk.

While this goes a long way to help address the immediate need to power thousands of businesses, it comes at a cost – a significant capital outlay, a substantial monthly diesel bill, and the toll that fossil fuels have on the environment.

Growthpoint spent just over R47 million on diesel to power all its buildings in the six months from July to December 2022. The monthly bill topped R10 million in both October and December 2022 and was just short of this figure in November. The V&A Waterfront independently spent R14.8m on diesel over the same period.

“The costs are substantial, but the burden is mostly shared, with tenants paying for their own additional diesel consumption costs,” confirms de Klerk.

A big concern is the environmental impact of load-shedding, which is forcing businesses to burn diesel at unprecedented rates. As with other businesses, this weighs on Growthpoint’s strategy to be carbon neutral by 2050 and counteracts its environmental goals.

Growthpoint launched an innovative programme of green building and green energy well over a decade ago. To replace electricity generated by fossil fuels with renewable energy in its portfolio, Growthpoint has already invested in 13.5MWp of solar generation capacity and plans to double this by June 2023.

“Our investment in solar power reduces our reliance on the national grid. There is a great need for this right now and amping up our investment in solar makes perfect sense for our strategic, operational and environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals,” says de Klerk.

Of its 24 solar installations, half are at office and mixed-use properties, nine at shopping centres and three at industrial buildings. However, retail installations represent the highest capacity by far, accounting for a combined 9.4MWp.

Growthpoint’s largest solar installation undertaken this year is the 2.5MWp plant at Paarl Mall in the Western Cape, which is paired with a 4.5MWh battery system to form a hybrid renewable energy and storage system. This is the first battery system of its size to be used at a shopping centre in South Africa, and Growthpoint is currently evaluating battery backup for other properties in its portfolio.

With 13.9MWp of solar projects in various phases of construction, Growthpoint is on track to achieve its target of 27.4MWp of installed solar by its 30 June 2023 financial year end and by adding potential solar projects to this list on an ongoing basis, Growthpoint is helping to chart the way forward for renewable energy in commercial real estate in South Africa and its tenants.

Read more about our commitment to sustainability here, or get a full ESG snapshot

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IFC will invest 1 billion South African rand (about $54 million) in the green bond, which will fund green improvements across Growthpoint’s office, industrial and retail spaces across South Africa. The retrofitting improvements are expected to reduce CO₂ emissions from the company’s portfolio by more than 18,000 tons annually.

The bond will also help Growthpoint, South Africa’s largest primary Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) listed real estate investment trust (REIT), refinance its green office building located at 144 Oxford in Rosebank, Johannesburg. The building has a Green Star 5 category certification, as defined by the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA).

“Growthpoint is committed to creating space to thrive with innovative and sustainable property solutions in environmentally friendly buildings while improving the social and material wellbeing of individuals and communities. This green bond supports our ESG strategy and renewable energy goals and furthers the diversification of our funding,” said Gerald Völkel, Growthpoint Group Financial Director.

“IFC is committed to accelerating access to green and sustainable buildings in South Africa to address climate change, protect the environment and support economic activity,” said Adamou Labara, IFC Country Manager for South Africa. “The green bond investment will contribute to greater climate change resilience in the country by supporting climate-smart infrastructure and reduce the private sector’s carbon footprint.”

Absa Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) acted as bond advisors for the transaction and helped Growthpoint with the private placement of the bond on the JSE.

“This deal demonstrates Absa CIB’s commitment to supporting our clients on their ESG journey and our ability to deliver tailored solutions by linking clients’ sustainable growth strategies with their financing,” said Heidi Barends, Head of Sustainable Finance at Absa CIB.

Increased funding for green buildings is vital in South Africa, which is facing increasing power and water supply shortages. Furthermore, access to green funding remains limited in the country.

The bond aligns with Growthpoint’s ambitious sustainability strategy to certify its entire portfolio of buildings as carbon neutral by 2050. The strategy includes reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent and increasing its renewable energy use by more than five times by 2026.

The green bond ZAR1 billion issuance was issued under Growthpoint’s existing Domestic Medium-Term Note (DMTN) programme, which is registered at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. It aligns with IFC’s strategy to green the commercial sector in South Africa by further developing capital markets, promoting climate-smart investments, and crowding in climate-relevant private capital.

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