Investment of the Week: High Street’s Industrial Heroes

• Industrial hero assets shine: DCs with power, logistics access and strong covenants draw serious capital.
• Auctions create price tension, speed and certainty, no financing suspensive conditions, deposits secured, 45 business days to settle.
• Three standout lots: Pretoria West income park, Stanger North Coast warehouse, Mostyn Park Lanseria mega-factory.

Why this week’s pick matters

‍South Africa’s macro is noisy, but best-in-class industrial keeps outperforming: low vacancies, rising replacement costs, and mission-critical locations. “Hero properties are attracting substantial investor attention,” says Greg Dart, director at The High Street Auction Co. “Distribution is alive and well—strategic warehousing and DCs are where the smart money is moving.”

Upcoming opportunity: 30 October, Bryanston Country Club, Johannesburg

‍High Street’s next multi-asset sale puts three industrial standouts on centre stage, alongside a broader catalogue (student housing, prime apartments, luxury residences, offices, hotels/lodges, and development land). The industrial trio headline the order of sale:

1.Pretoria West | Fully tenanted industrial park (±R21m GAI)

‍Warehouses, workshops and offices anchored by heavy-industry tenants, with a fully paved yard for logistics flows. Central access to Pretoria CBD, Laudium and Centurion.

“It’s a prime industrial node with strong tenancy and a unique advantage, critical national key point power status. That means no load-shedding,” says Dart.

2. Stanger, KZN North Coast

‍±6,650 m² warehouse on the N2/R74 axis
Sits between Durban (Africa’s busiest port) and Richards Bay (SA’s largest bulk port), part of the province’s R1-trillion aerotropolis growth corridor. Immediate capacity is a moat where bulk services and approvals slow new builds.

Spec: dual wide access (roller shutter + steel door), multiple office suites (director/admin/production), separate R&D building, secure yard, internal loading bays.

“It squarely serves coastal and inland markets. In a constrained-services environment, plug-and-play capacity wins,” Dart notes.

3. Mostyn Park, Lanseria

‍Large vacant warehouse/factory (ex-West Pack)
Ideal for logistics, distribution, manufacturing or storage. Minutes to Lanseria Airport; quick links to N1/N14.
Spec: 9 - 17 m eaves, operational sprinkler system, generous truck articulation, 1 MVA power plus large backup generator.

“We’ve already approached investors with similar operating models to the previous tenant,” says Dart. “We’re proactive, not waiting for the market to come to us.”

Why auctions work now

‍“In a competitive room, price tension does the work,” says Dart. “You extract better value, and you do it fast.”

High Street’s terms favour certainty: no financing suspensive conditions; winning bidders pay a 16.5% deposit on signature; 45 business days to deliver guarantees/cash, unconditional once accepted.

“For sellers, it’s bankable certainty ideal for recycling capital from non-core assets,” Dart adds.

The structural tailwinds behind industrial

• Supply chains are re-tooling: Retailers and 3PLs need modern DCs with height, yard depth, power, and automation readiness.
• Location is destiny: Nodal assets near ports, airports and freeway interchanges compress the last mile and protect throughput.
• New-build friction: Bulk-service and approval delays keep immediate capacity scarce, supporting rents and valuations.
• Energy resilience: Installed capacity and exemption statuses (where applicable) de-risk operations and strengthen covenants.

How to be proactive (buyer & seller playbook)

• Buyers: Line up internal approvals; conduct pre-auction due diligence; model realistic capex for operational uptime (power, sprinklers, yard works); confirm logistics fit (eaves, dock doors, turning circles).
• Sellers: Package a clean data room (leases, utilities, compliance); surface power/water advantages; pre-empt objections with recent inspections and capex histories; price for competition, let the room work.

Call to action - 30 October auction
Serious about industrial? Inspect, register, and bid.
High Street Auction Co. - Tuesday, 30 October | Bryanston Country Club, Johannesburg. Details here https://www.highstreetauctions.com/auction/property-auction-30-october-2025/

“Hero assets don’t sit on the market,” Dart says. “If the box is right, location, power, access, covenant, move decisively.”

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