Pavailler leases 37,500 sf at Northvale from Kessel

Real Estate Weekly, August 16, 2000

Pavailler U.S.A., a leading manufacturer and importer of European bakery equipment on the American continent, has leased 37,500 square feet at 232 Pegasus Avenue in Northvale, N.J., announced Jeffrey A. Kessel, owner/developer. Located near Exit 5 of the Palisades Interstate Parkway, the leased space comprises the majority of a 52,000-square-foot building developed by Kessel Associates. A 21,000-square-foot building on the same property is leased long-term to Directrix.

The Northvale facility will serve as the new headquarters for Pavailler U.S.A., the North American subsidiary of Pavailler, a company that has designed and manufactured bakery equipment in France for more than 50 years. When Pavailler came to the United States in 1968, its founder, Louis Pavailler, opened the first Au Bon Pain bakery in Manhattan to attract customers for his bakery equipment business.

The recent growth of Pavailler's bakery equipment business precipitated their move to Northvale. "We had substantially outgrown our Closter facilities," explained Nick Durand, general manager for Pavailler U.S.A. "Plus we wanted to begin doing some on-site assembly of equipment. The Northvale property offered everything we needed -- ample room for storage, distribution and assembly work, as well as modern offices and space for a state-of-the-art showroom.

Although the 20-year-old building was designed and built to accommodate one or two tenants, with two separate entrances, two rear-loading docks and sufficient parking on both ends, it has only housed a single tenant. Its most recent, and second tenant, was Barr Laboratories, a leading manufacturer of generic drugs.

According to Partner Jeffrey Kessel, Kessel Associates had hoped to replace Barr with a single tenant, but the company readily divided the space to accommodate a tenant of Pavailler's caliber. "We created two completely self-contained units by erecting a full-height demising wall and establishing separate utilities for both spaces. This offers both tenants access to their properties 24/7, and provides privacy and total control over heating and air conditioning," said Kessel.

Kessel retrofitted the commercial office/warehouse building with 7,000 square feet of custom office space for Pavailler's executive and sales staff. A large glass-enclosed showroom was also constructed at the end of the main entry foyer. The showroom features working bread ovens and other European bakery equipment on display.

Other enhancements Kessel Associates made to the property include painting of the building's exterior, extensive landscaping with new shrubbery, resurfacing and relining of the parking area and new electric service.

Northvale's proximity to the Palisades Interstate Parkway and the New York State Thruway, as well as the Tappan Zee and George Washington Bridges, makes it a prime location for Pavailler. "Accessibility to major roads is key for our distribution and for attracting potential customers," noted Nick Durand. "This location is convenient for customers throughout northern New Jersey, lower New York State, Westchester County and Connecticut."

The remaining 14,500 square feet of space is available at 234 Pegasus Avenue. The unit features 1,800 square feet of newly-renovated office space and is suitable for office, warehouse, distribution and light assembly usage.