We’ve started the year with a bang, being shortlisted in the Property Business category for the West Midlands Business Desk Business of the Year Awards 2024. With some strong competition, we’ll be waiting eagerly for the result to be announced on February 22 – wish us luck!
The shortlisting is down to the masterplan for our Droitwich estate, which sees a total of £18 million investment into the area. With our in-house construction team, phase 1 well underway and due for completion this year, and phase 2 to follow on, the ambitious scheme will deliver 200,000 sq ft to provide a huge boost to the local business community and the economy.
Our vision included the launch of our second state-of-the-market report, conducted in collaboration with Savills, in the final quarter of 2023. The report, BIG Things in SMALL Boxes, takes a deep dive into the small to mid-box (sub-100k sq. ft.) industrial and logistics property industry to tackle the issues that matter, and highlight a way forward.
One of these issues is that the current demand for industrial property space far outstrips that amount of land available for development – in what has come to be known as suppressed demand. We’re working hard to find solutions to this crucial issue and held a roundtable discussion event in November last year, in partnership with Property Week.
We welcomed peers and colleagues from across the sector, industry bodies such as UKWA, representatives from Savills and local authorities to Alpha Tower in Birmingham to discuss the findings of the report and how we can work together to move the conversation forward in 2024. Want to find out more? Take a look through our social media for film of the event as well as the key takeaways from some of our esteemed attendees.
But we’re not just talking the talk. Our five-year vision is all about walking the walk when it comes to providing quality spaces for our customers, whether they are just joining us or have been with us for some time. In 2023 we launched new units at our sites in Droitwich and also Ripon– all of which achieved a minimum BREEAM rating of ‘Very Good’ or ‘Excellent’ for future builds.
Our investment in our sites demonstrates our intention to add value to our local communities, providing jobs as well as spaces for businesses to grow and thrive. We’re looking forward to continuing this investment in 2024, with several successful applications already under our belts. We just need to get building!
With so much going on, we’re proud to be able to share our shortlisting. Whatever the result, we know our team will continue to build on the successes of 2023 and make 2024 our best year yet.
Looking for your perfect Home for Business? See if one of our sites has your perfect fit here. Alternatively, contact us here and we’ll be in touch.
