Setting a new bar on brand distribution
On a prominent corner site in Waterloo Business Park are striking new office and warehouse facilities that are home to one of New Zealand’s top fashion, footwear, and lifestyle brand distributors, Liquid Brands.
Kiwis donning their Crocs this summer will likely be unaware of the local distribution success story behind them. Darrel and Nigel Ferguson first started as New Zealand agents for the popular footwear brand in 2006. In the intervening years, they have added many other leading footwear, fashion, and lifestyle brands to their distribution stable, ensuring New Zealanders can enjoy the latest trends and styles from around the world.
Taking their vision to a new level, the couple recently invested in a purpose-built facility at Waterloo Business Park. Complementing a new 2000sqm warehouse are elegant modern offices, a retail shop, and showroom-level supplier meeting rooms, along with an expansive breezeway canopy. The total area is around 3500sqm. Smart, modern, and functional, this impressive investment makes a strong statement about Liquid Brands, the team, and their commitment to the future of the city.
Prominent on the sleek, brushed copper-style feature façade at the front of the building is the Liquid Brands’ name.
“That cladding is very individual and shows that here is a company that does things differently,” says Ben Lagan, managing director of Carbon Property. “When you walk inside, you can see that the standard is incredibly high in every detail, from the light ply linings to the polished concrete floors, designer carpets, and kitchen joinery. It reflects who they are as a business, which is all about fashion and style.”
Liquid Brands is delighted with the results they achieved through partnering with Carbon Property, a contract development management specialist, on this project.
“We know how to sell clothing and footwear and how to distribute them, but when it came to property, we had no idea what to do and where to start,” says Darrel. “That’s why we needed someone with expertise like Ben, and he’s been fantastic. At the end of the day, we told him what we needed as far as the size of the property, and he made sure it was set out in a really workable way, he gave us some really good suggestions on how to plan it out on the section to make it really efficient.”
Carbon Property managed all aspects of the project, from sourcing the land to overseeing the design and build process. Gareth Ritchie, of award-winning Archo Architecture, created the inspiring design while Sam Wyatt and his team (Wyatt Construction) delivered the high-quality build.
“Developing the operational brief took almost four months, as we worked through what aspects they wanted to take across to their new facility and what new elements they wanted to bring into it,” says Ben. “Central to our thinking was also to plan for the future by ensuring there would be plenty of room for growth.”
This sophisticated office and warehouse development is encouraging for the city and secures Liquid Brands’ presence as a landmark business. “It lifts our profile as a company and gives us opportunity to work with more international brands moving forward,” says Nigel.