Logistics company Highline Commerce is once again expanding its industrial space in Brooklyn's Industry City. The company, which specialises in order fulfilment for emerging e-commerce brands, has signed a new lease for an additional 18,000 square feet. This increases Highline Commerce's total area on the mixed-use commercial campus to 60,000 square feet. Highline Commerce negotiated the five-year agreement directly with Jeff Fein and Brad Blum from Industry City, who represented the landlord in-house. The asking rent was $28 per square foot.
Growth through technological innovation
Highline Commerce attributes its significant growth partly to the use of robots. The company has partnered with Ultra Robotics, another tenant in Industry City, to install humanoid robots. According to an Industry City spokesperson, these robots handle up to 30 percent of Highline's customer orders. The 60,000 square feet of flexible industrial space will continue to be primarily used for fulfilment operations, complemented by some office space and communal areas.
Highline Commerce moved to Industry City from Manhattan's Chelsea district in 2022. During its initial four-year lease, the company's warehouse space grew from 27,000 square feet to 42,000 square feet. Richard Hurley, founder and CEO of Highline, stated that New York is in the midst of a golden age of e-commerce, with brands entering the market faster than the logistics world can support them.
Significance of the Industry City location
The choice of location underscores Industry City's role as an integrated ecosystem for innovative companies. Richard Hurley emphasised that serving the growing e-commerce industry requires not just a community, but a place like Industry City, where manufacturing, printing, order fulfilment, and the robots that control it all work closely together in a confined space. This allows Highline to efficiently scale its services and meet market demands.
Highline intends to remain in Industry City as long as it can continue to grow there. This long-term perspective demonstrates the company's satisfaction with the location and its infrastructure. The strategic partnership with Ultra Robotics and the use of advanced robotics position Highline Commerce as a pioneer in the logistics industry, particularly in the e-commerce sector.
