Transport company signs up for speculative Worcester Six unit
A national transport company with ambitious growth plans is opening a new headquarters at the popular Worcester Six Business Park next month (November 2023).
Stop Start Transport Limited, which is currently based in Berkeley Business Park, Worcester, is relocating 1.5 miles south to Cabot 38, a 34,000 sq ft of flexible commercial space and 4,073 sq ft of offices, within the business park as part of its growth and investment plans in the region.
Chris Pullen, MD at Stop Start, which has been part of the Listed Swedish investment firm Storskogen Group AB, since April 2022, said that thanks to strong growth across the business, it needs larger premises to meet increasing customer demand. Cabot 38 is not only 30% larger than its existing premises, but the eaves are also just over six feet higher, which provides an additional 10% of storage space.
The company, which delivers high-value bathroom products nationwide for some of the biggest brands in the country, is fitting out now and plans to move in early November. It employs about 100 staff and with the expansion, plans to continue hiring more local members of staff over the next couple of years.
“We’ve been contemplating moving for the past couple of years, but seeing the high specification at Cabot 38, as well as its close proximity to junction six of the M5, tipped us in favour of moving,” he said.
“We’ve been at our existing site for 15 years, but we now need somewhere that gives us the space to grow over the next ten years and Cabot 38 provides that. This is a significant investment and part of Storskogen’s strategic plans for Stop Start and we are looking forward to moving in.”
Giles Thomas, agent at BNP Paribas Real Estate, said he had received strong interest in the unit from several regional companies from different sectors, eventually agreeing a 10-year lease deal with Stop Start transport after the building achieved practical completion in July.
“I’m pleased to have secured another high-calibre company for Worcester Six,” he said. “The location and standard of accommodation at Worcester Six is undoubtedly the driver for attracting companies, making it a real success story for the area.
“Over the last few years, it has developed into a well-established and appealing business park, and it is testament to the specification of the builds and the overall vision to create an environmentally desirable location that is putting it on the map.”
The speculative unit, adjacent to ZwickRoell and Kimal, benefits from photovoltaic roof panels and has achieved an EPC A rating. Overall, Worcester Six has a BREEAM rating of ‘Very Good’. It has been funded by Cabot Properties, a private equity real estate investment firm based in Boston, USA, and a leading investor, developer and operator of industrial properties.
Worcester Six is being developed by commercial property developer Stoford, which is committed to creating a high-quality business park. It has already attracted a number of world-class businesses to the region, including Siemens, Kohler Mira, Kimal, IONOS, ZwickRoell and Alliance Flooring Distribution.
Once fully developed, it will provide 2.1 million sq ft of accommodation. It already benefits from more than 850,000 sq ft having been delivered or committed across the scheme.