Robots out, work boots in. Brunt Workwear, the North Reading-based maker of boots and jobsite apparel, is moving into the former Locus Robotics headquarters at 301 Ballardvale Street in Wilmington. The company has signed for roughly 56,000 square feet to house R&D, warehouse and office functions as it scales beyond direct-to-consumer sales, turning a long-time robotics address into a full-service logistics and product-development hub.
As first reported by Boston Business Journal, Brunt Workwear leased 56,000 square feet of R&D, warehouse and office space at 301 Ballardvale Street in Wilmington. The deal ranks as one of the larger suburban flex leases in the Route 93 corridor this year.
CBRE’s commercial listing for 301 Ballardvale describes the property as about 125,597 square feet of single-story flex space and shows a 56,000-square-foot availability. The listing highlights 16-foot clear heights, substantial power capacity and multiple loading doors, features suited to light manufacturing and distribution tenants, according to CBRE.
Locus Robotics had been a longtime tenant at Ballardvale before departing, leaving the space available to Brunt. Berkeley Investments, which manages the Ballardvale portfolio, lists Locus among previous occupants and has repositioned the park to attract life-science, robotics and advanced-manufacturing users.
Why Brunt Took This Space
Brunt has rapidly expanded since its 2020 founding, moving beyond online sales into wholesale and national distribution. The Wall Street Journal recently reported the company now records more than $300 million in annual sales, a scale that makes dedicated warehouse, testing and product-development space a lot more urgent for the brand. A single-floor, high-power flex building gives Brunt room for larger inventory, on-site testing and light manufacturing under one roof.
What It Means For Wilmington
As reported by Boston Business Journal, the new lease brings the Ballardvale park back to full occupancy following Locus’s exit. Leasing brokers have marketed Ballardvale as a convenient Route 93 location with a mix of R&D and manufacturing tenants, and the Brunt deal underscores continued demand for suburban, single-story flex space. That could translate into jobs for warehousing, product engineers and technical support as Brunt ramps up operations at the site.
Initial reporting did not include a move-in date or the terms of the lease. Brunt’s public materials emphasize worker-informed product development, and the Wilmington location appears built to support testing and fulfillment as the brand grows; see BRUNT Workwear for background on the company.
