The former TD Williams premises in Penllergaer Swansea has been bought by Welsh Boxes for £725k with national commercial property consultancy Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) handling the sale.
The well-established packaging business moved to its new Pleasant Road premises in August, relocating and consolidating the box manufacturing side of the business from Swansea Business Park in Fforestfach where the organisation was spread over three sites. The Timber manufacturing and packaging stores remain at its Bruce Road site in Fforestfach where it has been based since 1962.
Spanning 75,804 sq ft and set within 5.93 acres, the warehouse style steel framed building comprises four bays and loading doors and includes a two storey office area.
It has undergone extensive refurbishment prior to Welsh Boxes moving the production part of its operation into the new site which is located on a prominent roadside location close to Junction 47 of the M4.
“Its position so close to the motorway and key link roads will undoubtedly help to streamline the distribution aspect of our business plus we have more room for expansion,” comments Greg Davies of Welsh Boxes.
“Our current headcount stands at 60 and there could be more new jobs in the pipeline now we have relocated as we’re confident our spacious new base coupled with substantial investment in machinery will contribute to further growth particularly into new markets.”
LSH acted for a national pension company in negotiating the terms of the leasehold deal.
Jason Thorne, LSH’s Agency Director, said: “Demand for this property was considerable as there is so little stock available of this scale and in good strategic locations in Swansea and surrounding areas. It is a shortfall we feel could be addressed easily by both the private and public sectors working together to develop opportunities.”
Welsh Boxes was established in 1937 as a producer of hat boxes and during World War II the business joined the war effort and diversified into making ammunition boxes.
Today it is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of heavy duty and corrugated packaging to domestic and export markets.
Other big name occupiers based in the Penllergaer area include B&Q, Lidl, Farm Foods and 3Ms.