HARIBO To Expand Wisconsin Warehouse to Triple Capacity

Bristol Highlands East Front building in Bristol, WI, where HARIBO will be expanding its warehousing and distribution capabilities in Bristol, WI.

The new warehousing site features 73 truck docks and is located within two miles from the gummi-candy manufacturer’s production plant in Pleasant Prairie, WI. The full-building lease between HSA Commercial and HARIBO of America is located at HSA’s Bristol Highlands Commerce Center East development, a 68-acre industrial park in Bristol, WI, near Interstate 94 and the Wisconsin-Illinois border. At 447,216 square feet, it is the largest industrial lease executed in the Southeast Wisconsin submarket last quarter.

HARIBO is the world's leading manufacturer of gummi products, most famous for its classic Goldbears. Globally, the business employs nearly 7,000 Associates and operates 16 production sites in 10 countries. A family-owned business with a century-long heritage, the company’s founder, Hans Riegel, built HARIBO on a foundation of quality and delivering moments of childlike happiness through its products. Established in 1920, HARIBO is the acronym that comprises the founder's name and the city in which the company was born (Bonn, Germany): HAns RIegel BOnn. HARIBO global headquarters is in Grafschaft, Germany and its U.S. headquarters operates out of Rosemont, Ill.

HARIBO is the world's leading manufacturer of gummi products, most famous for its classic Goldbears.

HARIBO currently occupies the 157,656-square-foot Building 1 at Bristol Highlands Commerce Center East, which is just 2 miles from the company’s first-ever North American production plant in Pleasant Prairie. Those warehousing and distribution operations will move from Building 1 to Building 3, located at 9403 136th Ave., upon completion of the interior buildout in second-quarter 2024.

The production site uses warehouse automation, such as machine-to-machine communication and access to real-time data from supply chain partners, to make planning decisions on replenishment, inventory and inbound shipping to stores, HARIBO’s CFO Wes Saber told CFO.com in 2021.

“As we’ve ramped up U.S. production and more consumers get to know and love HARIBO gummies, we need larger warehouse space to house our products,” says Lauren Triffler, Director and Head of Corporate Communications for HARIBO of America, Inc. “This larger footprint will help support our growth and continue to serve our customers quickly and efficiently. We’re thrilled to stay in Bristol near our factory and support our local communities, adding more career opportunities as we bring the world’s No. 1 gummi brand to fans around the U.S.”

“This expansion is also a testament to the desirability of the I-94 corridor, which has attracted many new speculative industrial developments,” says Robert Smietana, President and CEO of HSA Commercial Real Estate. “Even though vacancy has increased, construction activity has moderated, which bodes well for the region in 2024 as larger deals like our lease with HARIBO inject confidence into the market.”

Completed in 2022, Building 3 features 36-foot clear heights, 73 truck docks and ample employee parking.

Once HARIBO moves into Building 3, the company’s former space in Building 1 will be available for lease. Situated between two four-way interchanges and two international airports, Bristol Highlands Commerce Center East is also home to Visual Pak, a Waukegan, Ill.-based provider of contract packaging and manufacturing that occupies a 472,176-square-foot warehouse in the park.

Related Articles:

HSA Commercial Signs Lease with HARIBO at Bristol Highlands Commerce Center

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