Fiji-owned business conglomerate Motibhai Group is developing a new $8.5 million purpose-built and environmentally responsible distribution centre in Labasa.
The multi-million-dollar project is earmarked to enhance operational efficiency, strengthen supply chain services across the Northern Division and support the company’s commitment to sustainable development.
Motibhai Group executive director Jinesh Patel said the new distribution centre represented a major investment in the north.
“It reflects our long-term commitment to the people of the Northern Division, improving service delivery, resilient infrastructure, and sustainable environmental practices,” Mr Patel said in a statement yesterday.
The company also acknowledged Investment Fiji’s role in facilitating regulatory requirements with the relevant authorities, and for recognising the capital injection, new employment and growth opportunities the project would bring to the division.
Investment Fiji chief executive officer Kamal Chetty said they commended the group for its foresight and continued confidence in the domestic economy.
He said such significant capital injections were essential for transforming the northern town into a vibrant economic hub for Vanua Levu.
“The Motibhai Group’s new distribution centre is a prime example of the high-impact domestic investment we are seeing in the north,” Mr Chetty said in the statement.
“This facility not only strengthens the region’s supply chain capacity but also generates meaningful employment and improves the standard of services available to the people of Vanua Levu.
“We remain committed to facilitating such projects that align with our national goals of sustainable growth and infrastructure modernisation,” he added.
LHM (Larsen Holton Maybin) Architects is the project’s architectural and design consultants, Suva-based Engineered Designs will provide geotechnical, civil and structural engineering services, and Irwin Alsop Pacific PTE Ltd will deliver building services engineering.
Total Infrastructure Fiji PTE Ltd will build the facility with a scheduled 44 weeks of construction timeframe.
The facility will feature a warehouse exceeding 1500 square metres; a 192 square metre ground-floor office block; 185 square metre first-floor manager’s flat; enhanced safety features including a setback block wall with fire-rated doors; upgraded drainage infrastructure; and integrated solar energy systems.
