A new occupier has moved into Hartlebury Trading Estate, having committed to more than 40,000 sq ft of commercial space at the business park.
Apex Supply Chain Technologies is the latest tenant to take on leases at Worcestershire’s largest commercial site, taking advantage of the Estate’s secure, high-tech offering and central location to site its European headquarters there.
Apex, which has had a UK presence since 2011, has taken on a 43,967 sq ft unit to bring the business’ assembly, sales, customer support, operations and administration teams together at one site, which operates in addition to the business’ other sites in Germany, France, Poland, Australia and South America, and alongside its global HQ in Ohio.
A purpose-built 4,000 sq ft technology centre created for demonstration the latest Apex solutions, forms the hub of the new office, and Julian Adams, CEO of the business, said that visitors had come to the new site from all over Europe and been impressed with the hi-tech HQ and the Estate’s benefits in general.
“With commercial space of between 40,000 and 60,000 sq ft being in short supply within Worcester, where we formerly occupied two separate buildings, we widened our search for a new space, and when we found the opportunity at Hartlebury, we moved fast to secure it,” explained Julian.
“We have more than 50 staff operating at the site and the thing that took us all by surprise was that despite having moved to a semi rural area, everyone found their daily commute reduced – access to the Estate is great, no one gets caught up in city centre congestion, and it’s a lovely environment to be sited in.
“The building meets our specification perfectly – we’re a very hi-tech business and Apex House is more than able to meet our expansion requirements for the foreseeable future,” he said.
“Our business serves the industrial, retail and fast-food sectors, and having exported from Hartlebury to many countries since we moved in, a number of clients have flown in from throughout Europe, all of whom have been extremely impressed with how easy we were to reach, with the set up we’ve been able to implement here, and with the clean, tidy and well-managed environment of the Estate.
“We’ve even had clients and contacts ask to use our demonstration hub as a meeting venue, they’ve been so taken with the location and facilities, and we’ve been very happy to oblige. Most recently, Gary Woodman, Chief Executive of Worcestershire LEP, used our building to chair a LEP Board meeting – so it’s great to be seen as such a showcase for the region,” Julian added.
Rupert Jeffries, of Collingwood Rigby, asset managers for Hartlebury Trading Estate, said: “Space at the Estate remains in high demand, with vacancy levels at a record low. Apex has committed to a ten-year lease here, and we’re delighted to have attracted such a high-profile occupier to the site, and to have made such an impression on the business’ client-base.
“Apex is well-established with decades’ of expertise within its field, and we’re extremely pleased that our central location, logistics links and high-specification units and services convinced the business that Hartlebury is the best place to site its UK operations.”
