Online book company Reuseabook has opened a fresh chapter with a move to new premises in Gloucester for its booming business.
The rapidly-growing company has taken a 10-year lease on a 75,000 sq ft warehouse at Mill Place from developer Robert Hitchins Ltd.
The joint agents were Alder King and Bruton Knowles. Andrew Watton was Reusabook’s agent.
The new site off Bristol Road is two-and-a-half times the size of Reuseabook’s previous home in Thrupp near Stroud and testament to its rapid success.
It was founded in 2008 by husband and wife Ami Baker and Rob Hollier whose mission is to ensure no book ever ends up in landfill.
They began working from their kitchen table in Stroud and have doubled their turnover every year since by collecting tens of thousands of books from charity shops and selling them online.
They now employ 35 people and ship thousands of second-hand books all over the world. They are proud that their business is both ethical and profitable, as well as providing an income for charity shops.
The move to Mill Place meant shifting 260 tons of books in 18 articulated lorry trips and 105 van journeys with 20 removal people over eight days.
At the same time, they had to keep the 24-hour online business running, processing 10 tons of books per day collected from charity shops, and posting 2,500 books daily to more than 100 countries.
“It’s fantastic to have so much space, not just for the books but for our office team – it gives us lots of opportunity to expand in future,” said Managing Director Ami, who has a background in corporate finance and was a winner in the Gloucestershire Women in Business Awards in 2015.
Asset and Development Manager for Robert Hitchins Ltd, John Jones, welcomed Reuseabook to Mill Place. “We’re very pleased to have such an entrepreneurial company on board and we wish them well,” he said.
Adrian Rowley, partner at property consultancy Alder King, added: “Mill Place is a vibrant business location on Bristol Road. Take-up has been significant over the past 12 months, satisfying a need within the city for cost-effective accommodation on flexible terms.”
Robert Hitchins Ltd, based at Boddington, Gloucestershire, is one of the leading property developers and investors in the South West and South Wales. It deals with the full process from site acquisition and planning through to development and investment.
