Cenntro Auto signs lease for space at Beach Boulevard Distribution Center (Courtesy of the Jacksonville Business Journal) — A maker of electric vehicles recently signed a lease for space at a Jacksonville commercial center.
Cenntro Electric Group Ltd., which makes light and medium-duty electric vehicles for corporate and governmental uses, will lease a 12,000-square-foot showroom space at Beach Boulevard Distribution Center at 11840 Beach Blvd.
It will be the company’s flagship retail store in the U.S. as it begins assembling electric vehicles at its new Jacksonville plant.
The deal was announced by NAI Hallmark, leasing agent for EastGroup Properties Inc. (NYSE:EGP), representing their industrial portfolio for the Southside of Jacksonville. Patrick Thornton, principal, Jason Purdy, vice president, and Camden Padgett, associate, represented EastGroup Properties Inc. in the transaction.
“More companies are choosing Jacksonville as part of their solution to the problem of supply chain issues due to efforts positioning the region as a transportation and logistics hub.” said Purdy, in a statement. “JaxPort has diverted container cargo traffic to its port along with a harbor-deepening project that is further increasing the amount of consumer goods coming into the region.”
Late last year, Cenntro announced that it would invest $25 million and create 34 jobs in Jacksonville for the manufacturing of electric vehicles.
According to a release from JAXUSA Partnership, the new facility will support annual production levels of more than 50,000 vehicles within four years as well as assembly, quality and testing processes, parts warehouse, distribution, and administrative functions.
Cenntro Automotive’s product portfolio includes Class 1-Class 4 vehicles in addition to off-road offerings. Cenntro currently distributes vehicles in more than 30 countries to target customers, which include corporate fleets (i.e., utilities companies), medium and small companies as well as both state and federal government fleets.
In December, the Jacksonville City Council approved $450,000 in incentives for the company’s new facility.