Friedman Inks Detroit-Area HQ Lease

26711 Northwestern Highway. Image courtesy of Friedman Real Estate

Friedman Real Estate has signed a 37,111-square-foot lease with security company Guardian Alarm at 26711 Northwestern Highway in Southfield, Mich. Friedman Vice President Dan Verderbar represented the tenant in the lease agreement and also in the sale of the firm’s previous 66,000-square-foot office headquarters.

Guardian will be relocating from the intersection of 8 Mile Road and the Southfield Freeway to the 137,476-square-foot office building this summer. The move to the new location will enable Guardian to merge its administrative offices, which are presently situated in two different buildings.

READ ALSO: A Closer Look at Tech Layoffs’ Impact on Office Leasing

Guardian Alarm former headquarters. Image courtesy of Friedman Real Estate

The tenant used Friedman’s design and facilities management services at their former location, and it will continue to do so in their new space, as well. Completed in 1969, the 26711 Northwestern Highway underwent cosmetic renovations in 2012, the year the current landlord acquired the property. According to CommercialEdge, Friedman Communities, GRT Financial, Huron Law Group and Rex Club also have leases at 26711 Northwestern Highway

Guardian Alarm’s new offices will feature an alarm monitoring command center, upgraded training facilities, as well as an expanded customer care center. The new space will feature digital product walls, interactive displays and an improved training and onboarding process.

Southfield office vacancy on the rise

According to a recent report by Colliers, the Detroit office market experienced a negative net absorption of 599,202 square feet during the first quarter. The Southfield market was particularly impacted, with a negative absorption of 468,274 square feet.

The overall vacancy rate for the metro stood at 12.9 percent at the end of the first quarter, the same source reveals. Southfield ended the quarter with a vacancy rate of 21.6 percent, the second highest across all submarkets and up 2 percent quarter-over-quarter.

Earlier this year, Friedman represented The Paslin Co. in securing a 113,742-square-foot lease in suburban Detroit.