Donghia To Establish US Distribution Center in Milford

MILFORD, CT-Donghia Inc. has signed an 80,000-sf lease at 500 BIC Dr. complex here. Donghia, which is headquartered in New York City, sells luxury home furnishings, textiles, lighting fixtures and accessories through interior decorators and architects. The company also operates Bergamo Fabrics, a luxury textiles line.

The warehouse/distribution space at 500 BIC Dr. is located in Building #4, a 271,000-sf building at the complex. The company expects to take occupancy in June 2006. The facility will be used as the main US distribution center for Donghia and sister company Bergamo Fabrics products. Bergamo maintains its headquarters in Mount Vernon, NY.

Richard Lee of OR & L Commercial represented the tenant. Chris O'Hara of Coldwell Banker Commercial, the exclusive leasing agent for the property, represented the building owner, Mountain Development Corp. of Clifton, NJ.

Lee says that several of Donghia's existing warehouse properties in the New York metro area have leases that expire later this year. The lease term at its Milford property is for 10 years with two five-year options. "We did a search which began in early February and it [the transaction] moved very fast." The search encompassed warehouse properties from Clinton to Norwalk.

In December 2005, MDC Milford Associates, LLC, an entity controlled by Mountain Development, purchased 500 BIC Dr. from BIC Corp. in a $14-million sale/short-term leaseback transaction. The property consists of 625,000 sf of warehouse, manufacturing and office space in five interconnected buildings on a 34-acre site.

Joseph Cocci, a principal of MDC Milford Associates, says the remainder of Building #4 will be available for lease in May. Building #3, a 105,000-sf warehouse industrial building will be on the market for lease beginning in October of this year. Buildings #1 and 2, which includes a 40,475-sf office building, totals 244,000 sf and will be available in June 2007.