Prime Beverage Group is stepping into some seriously big shoes in Kannapolis, taking over the massive industrial building that Stanley Black & Decker recently walked away from. The long-term lease puts a nearly one million square foot warehouse back to work along the busy I-85 industrial corridor and is set to kick in about six weeks after Stanley cleared out. For the Charlotte region’s industrial market, it is another signal that well-located logistics space is still getting snapped up.
Deal details and timing
According to the Charlotte Business Journal, Prime Beverage Group has signed a long-term lease at the former Stanley Black & Decker facility in Kannapolis, with move-in expected to start roughly six weeks after the Connecticut-based manufacturer vacated the site. The building, a roughly 928,000 square foot complex that once formed part of Stanley Black & Decker’s local distribution network, was sold to institutional buyers in 2025, according to transaction records. Prime Beverage’s deal effectively ensures that the vast space does not sit idle for long.
Prime Beverage's footprint
Prime Beverage is based in Kannapolis and describes itself as a regional beverage co-packer with significant warehousing and packaging capacity, per its LinkedIn page. The company is no stranger to large footprints around the Charlotte area. A 2021 announcement from Trinity Partners shows Prime Beverage previously leased the full 277,253 square foot building at Carolina Tradeport in Concord as part of an earlier expansion effort, signaling a steady buildout of its regional presence.
Why it matters for the Charlotte industrial market
Big-box industrial choices are in short supply across the Charlotte metro. CBRE’s Q1 2026 figures put vacancy at about 7.3% and recorded roughly 1.9 million square feet of net absorption for the quarter, a combination that has left very few plug-and-play megasites for large users. Cushman & Wakefield notes a “flight to quality” among tenants, which has only increased the appeal and value of turn-key, well-located warehouses like the Kannapolis property that Prime Beverage is taking over.
Stanley Black & Decker's exit and sale
Stanley Black & Decker has been trimming its local footprint in recent years, including announced facility closures that left sizable distribution spaces sitting empty in the Concord and Kannapolis area, the Charlotte Observer reported. The roughly 928,000 square foot complex in Kannapolis was acquired by institutional buyers in 2025, according to transaction records, and Prime Beverage’s new lease brings at least part of that high-profile industrial asset back into active use.
For Kannapolis and the surrounding I-85 corridor, Prime Beverage’s move turns a prominent vacancy into operating space for a homegrown company and trims the already tight inventory of empty megasites available to other tenants. Brokers and market reports continue to project steady absorption of quality space as build-to-suit projects and last-mile demand pick back up, making deals like this one a notable marker of stabilization in the Charlotte industrial landscape.
