Atterbury Publishes Practical Guide for CFOs Evaluating Industrial Property for Supply Chain Performance

South African commercial property developer addresses the real operational costs hiding behind industrial lease agreements.

Atterbury, one of South Africa’s leading property development and investment companies, has published a new guide aimed at CFOs and procurement managers navigating industrial property selection. The resource addresses a gap that catches many businesses off guard: the disconnect between what a lease agreement shows and what a facility actually costs to operate.

The financial consequences of a poorly specified or badly located industrial facility rarely appear upfront. They surface later: in transport inefficiencies, compliance shortfalls, and throughput constraints that quietly compound across the lease term. By the time the impact is visible, the operational and contractual commitments are already in place.

The article explores several areas that typically receive insufficient attention during site selection, including transport access and interchange quality, facility specifications such as clear height, truck court depth, and dock configuration, compliance and environmental infrastructure, and how to match a development’s location to your actual logistics network design. Together, these criteria form the basis of a practical evaluation framework the piece sets out for readers.

One area the guide addresses in particular detail is the gap between purpose-built logistics facilities and repurposed industrial buildings, and why that distinction shows up in throughput, scheduling, and workforce productivity rather than in a simple cost-per-square-metre comparison.

For the complete framework, including how to structure a total occupancy cost assessment that goes beyond the rental figure, read How Property Development Choices Shape Supply Chain Efficiency on the Atterbury website.

About Atterbury Atterbury is a South African property development, investment, and management company with close to three decades of experience delivering prime mixed-use, commercial, retail, and industrial properties. Operating across Africa and into Europe, Atterbury specialises in turnkey development and long-term partnership with leading retailers, corporates, and investors.

Contact Atterbury Die Klubhuis, 2nd Floor, Corner of 18th Street and Pinaster Ave, Hazelwood, Pretoria, 0081 012 471 1600