St. Modwen Logistics, one of the UK’s leading logistics developers and managers, has invested £65.5m to support regeneration in Stoke-on-Trent through the development of more than 450,000 sq ft of warehouse space in the past 18 months, with a further 480,000 sq ft currently under development. The significant investment in the area builds on the £56m Levelling Up commitment, announced by the Chancellor in his autumn Budget last year, to support restoration work and encourage employment within the region.
Through the development of its Stoke South and Stoke Central parks, St. Modwen Logistics is committed to generating employment opportunities and economic growth within the region. St. Modwen Park Stoke South, a 400-acre mixed-use development, has already proved a success with 2.3m sq ft of warehouse space developed to date and has attracted major occupiers including E.ON and Screwfix.
St. Modwen Logistics is developing more than 480,000 sq ft of warehouse space at St. Modwen Park Stoke Central, which is part of the wider 300-acre Festival Park development. Of this space in development, two pre-let deals have already been agreed for the development with personal computer e-commerce business, Overclockers UK, and National Veterinary Services (NVS).
Overclockers UK signed a pre-let agreement for a 99,000 sq ft warehouse at Stoke Central. The move will support the company following its rapid business growth over the last two years, as a result of high demand for PC peripherals and gaming computers from national and global customers.
Polly Troughton, Managing Director at St. Modwen Logistics, said: “Our aim is to provide our customers with the space and support they need to succeed and, thanks to its location and access to one of the UK’s largest labour pools, Stoke-on-Trent is ideally placed for businesses looking to grow, regardless of their size.”
“Through our activities, and the activities of our customers, our buildings and logistics parks bring a variety of good quality jobs and encourage valuable investment into local areas. This is key to supporting the Government’s Levelling Up agenda to regenerate the area and give local people and businesses access to the opportunities they deserve.”
Steve Ling, Managing Director at Overclockers UK, said: “Throughout 2021, we continued to see record demand for high-performance computers and gaming hardware. As a result, we have outgrown our current space in Newcastle under Lyme, so need to expand our premises to reflect this growth – scaling from a 32,000 sq ft unit to a 99,000 sq ft unit in Etruria, Stoke.”
“Our workforce is highly skilled – we configure some of the world’s most powerful personal computers – so a significant proportion of the team are hired as apprentices and trained on the job. Our new unit will allow us to continue employing and nurturing a highly skilled local workforce in the Stoke area.”
St. Modwen Logistics has also signed a pre-let deal with National Veterinary Services (NVS) for a 250,000 sq ft unit at St. Modwen Park Stoke Central. The new unit will support the company in supplying and distributing products to animal health practices across the UK.
Martin Riley, Managing Director at NVS, commented: “Stoke has a growing reputation as an attractive location for the logistics and warehousing sector, with its proximity to Birmingham and Manchester airports and immediate access to the national motorway network. The move to St. Modwen Park Stoke Central will allow us to continue our growth plans, building on our success over the last 5 years.”
