A specialist breads bakery is to double its operational footprint with the creation of a regional distribution centre at the company’s headquarters in Salisbury.
In the latest property deal through regional commercial property consultancy Myddelton & Major, Nicholas & Harris signed a 15-year lease on a 24,607 sq ft (2,286 sq m) unit next to the company’s long-standing production facility at Churchfields Industrial Estate.
With a £800,000 investment, the former site of the Vauxhall Approach car dealership is now being transformed into a distribution centre, which will be linked to the bakery next door.
Due for completion by the end of this year, the distribution centre in Brunel Road will expand capacity, improve efficiencies and save 500 vehicle movements a month with the one location. Three nearby satellite sites are currently used.
Nicholas & Harris, one of the largest employers in the cathedral city with 320 staff, and a history dating back locally more 170 years, has trebled business in six years and now has an annual turnover of £26.5m.
The company produces specialty rolls, breads and buns, with seeds and grains, for quality supermarkets, including brands such as Vogel’s and Cranks.
More than half a million loaves are produced a week at the bakery, with a further 16 million hot cross buns hand-glazed and hand-crossed annually.
Dean Speer, a partner at Salisbury-based Myddelton & Major, acted for the owner of the building, which was sold to Nicholas & Harris’ existing landlord Upper Crust.
He said: “The expansion of Nicholas & Harris’ operations is excellent news for Salisbury and is a welcome boost to the local economy.
“This is a significant deal for the city and hopefully marks the turn of the economic corner as occupier demand shows positive improvement.”
Simon Staddon, the managing director of Nicholas & Harris, said: “The distribution centre, enabling new operational efficiencies, will play a valuable part in our growth plans – we aim to double turnover to £50m by 2020 as our own customers continue to grow the UK market.
“More than £800,000 is being spent on transforming the industrial premises into a modern distribution centre, consolidating vehicle movements under one roof and thereby reducing them by 125 a week from the three satellite sites nearby.
“We’re grateful to Myddelton & Major, which acted to the letter, for ensuring a smooth property deal and helping to facilitate the next chapter in our 175-year history through additional capacity.
“The bread market is worth £3 billion a year in the UK and we are growing the business despite a flat sector, benefitting our staff, their families, suppliers and customers.”
Nicholas & Harris, part of the Finsbury Food Group, uses 100% British wheat for its products.
Lease details regarding the Brunel Road property deal were not disclosed.
Myddelton & Major, recently named the most active agent in Wiltshire by property ‘bible’ Estates Gazette, works for a wide range of clients across the central southern region.
