Five Yorkshire businesses have joined forces to enable work to begin on a new 543,620 sq ft national distribution centre located at the £50m Burnley Bridge Business Park in Lancashire.
The centre will be occupied by Exertis, one of Europe’s largest and fastest-growing technology distribution and specialist service providers. Eshton, the Leeds-based property investment and development specialist has confirmed building work has commenced on what is believed to be the biggest distribution deal in the north-west so far this year.
To deliver the new building Eshton is working in partnership with Yorkshire-based businesses KPP Architects, property consultancy Dove Haigh Phillips, law firm Gordons and construction consultants Rex Procter & Partners.
James Chapman, managing director, Eshton, said: “It’s great to see construction of the Exertis distribution centre underway and to have worked with such an excellent team of Yorkshire-based professionals to get this project started.
“This is physical proof not only of Burnley Bridge Business Park’s potential but how the commercial property sector is bouncing back. We are experiencing a surge in enquiries, which reflects the increasing demand in the area for high quality space with excellent links to the motorway network.”
The deal between Eshton and Exertis, which will become the largest tenant to date at the business park, includes additional land, providing scope to extend the premises by 200,000 square feet in the future.
Due for completion in May 2016, the building will contain a 433,946 square foot warehouse, two mezzanine floors totalling 66,478 square feet and 43,196 square feet of office space.
Exertis, which has other existing UK facilities in Raunds, Northamptonshire and Elland, West Yorkshire, partners with 350 global technology brands and over 14,000 resellers, e-commerce operators and retailers across Europe. It recorded turnover of £2.3bn and grew by over 22 per cent in the last full financial year.
Gerry O’Keeffe, Exertis UK and Ireland managing director, said: “We’re very excited to see work under way at Burnley Bridge Business Park. The new centre will greatly assist us in our mission of helping customer and vendor partners access an ever-improving range of services and opportunities, which drive their businesses forward, by allowing us to continue expanding our distribution operations.”
Launched 18 months ago, Government-backed Burnley Business Park is a strategic 70-acre development, at Junction 9 of the M65. When complete, it will provide 750,000 square feet of industrial and distribution space, offering units from 2,000 square feet upwards, and is expected to create 1,400 jobs.
Construction group Bowmer & Kirkland, based in Belper, Derbyshire, has been appointed to build the centre to Exertis’s specifciations.