HSA Commercial has announced the execution of a full-building lease with HARIBO of America, Inc., at its 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, the world’s leading manufacturer of gummi products, 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.

“HARIBO has been a valued tenant at Bristol Highlands for over two years, and we are pleased to have a building within the same park that is ready to accommodate their rapid growth,” said Robert Smietana, President and CEO of HSA Commercial Real Estate. “This expansion is also a testament to the desirability of the I-94 corridor, which has attracted many new speculative industrial developments. 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.

“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,” said 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.”

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.

Whit Heitman and Sam Badger of CBRE represented HARIBO in the transaction. Ownership was represented by Jeff Hoffman of Boerke, Eric Fischer of Cushman & Wakefield and Tim Thompson of HSA Commercial.