With the Port of Felixstowe on its doorstep, easy access to the logistics Golden Triangle and plenty of “big shed” space available, the East of England is a prime location.
Forward-looking companies are making the most of the opportunities by installing a mezzanine in their premises, either from the get-go when they first move into a warehouse or later as their business expands.
Advantages for ambitious businesses
What are the advantages of the East of England for the 3PL sector, big-brand retailers and a range of ambitious businesses?
Warehouse supply in the region has risen 186% in the past 12 months to stand at 2.63m sq. ft across nine units, according to a Savills UK Big Shed Briefing. This equates to 1.14 years’ worth of supply.
“Occupier demand has stemmed from third-party logistics firms, accounting for 60% of all take-up, parcel companies accounted for 20% of take-up and wholesalers at 20%,” Savills reported.
The Port of Felixstowe is Britain’s biggest and busiest container port as well as one of the largest in Europe. Among the 2,000 ships it welcomes every year are the biggest container vessels afloat today, thanks to some of the deepest water close to the open sea of any European port.
Its rail and road links connect the port to distribution hubs in the Midlands, the logistics holy grail of the Golden Triangle and onwards to destinations throughout the UK.
Exciting developments
Exciting developments include German supermarket Lidl opening its largest warehouse in the world in Bedfordshire. This regional distribution centre near Luton is expected to create up to 1,500 jobs and service 150 stores.
The £300 million site is so big at 1.2m sq. ft that it could fit three of the retailer’s existing warehouses inside. It is the first Lidl GB warehouse to feature automation to store more goods and increase capacity, thereby helping to bring more jobs to the area.
Another example is garden and homeware retailer The Range, which has opened a new 1.17m sq. ft warehouse in Stowmarket, creating 1,600 jobs from forklift truck drivers to order pickers, catering staff and drivers. Mid Suffolk District Council said: “It is going to make a real difference to the local economy and the local job market.”
A key factor in choosing the site was proximity to the Port of Felixstowe, as well as allowing The Range to serve its stores not just in the East of England but across the South, South-East and the East Midlands.
Maximum benefit from available space
Just as important as site selection is deriving maximum benefit from available space.
At Hi-Level Mezzanines we are helping our clients make full use of their vertical capacity – including future-proofing to ensure they have the space they need for more product and more staff as their businesses grow.
In Essex, for example, we maximised warehouse space for Not Your Every Day (NYED), a company launched in 2023 to hire out sustainable furniture for events and hospitality.
From the very early stages of securing its new warehouse building, NYED wanted to take advantage of all its headroom. By installing a mezzanine, we provided the capacity to hold the range of furniture it needs for its growing business.
Cost-effective choice
For Beryl, a company running bike, cargo bike and scooter share schemes in locations around the country, we installed a single-tier mezzanine in its Watford unit to meet its plans for business growth.
Beryl considered relocating its operation but instead of undertaking the upheaval of moving and expenditure of larger premises, opted instead for the cost-effective choice of using its existing space to the full by installing a mezzanine floor.
The company was delighted by the result: “The whole process from quotation to installation was handled smoothly … our small and congested site was a tricky install, however nothing was too much trouble for the install team who sailed through the build with no fuss.”
The company was delighted by the result: “The whole process from quotation to installation was handled smoothly … our small and congested site was a tricky install, however nothing was too much trouble for the install team who sailed through the build with no fuss.”
Smart decision
GB Racing manufactures engine covers for the motorbike industry and took the strategic decision to install a mezzanine as soon as it found a new site in Hertfordshire. The two-tier mezzanine created more space for product and additional staff as well as better product flow.
It was a smart decision by a business that sells all over the world from South Korea to Indonesia, the USA and Europe – and has supplied nine World Superbike champions!
Another example is how in a newly built fulfilment centre in Bedfordshire, Hi-Level Mezzanines provided a bespoke mezzanine floor for storage and supporting conveyor systems for one of the UK’s leading packaging companies. Growing at a rapid pace into the international market, the firm asked us to future-proof the mezzanine design so additional tiers can be installed when they are needed.
Unrivalled skills
Wherever our clients are, everything we do at Hi-Level Mezzanines matches the unrivalled skills of our qualified structural engineers with our legendary attention to detail. In the words of our client Acorn Storage Equipment: “Just got back from the Colchester site, absolutely perfect job thank you very much. And please pass on my compliments to the install team, the place is spotless – not a grain of dust anywhere!”
Hi-Level Mezzanines
Hi-Level Mezzanines provides mezzanine floors of the highest quality in the industry, yet remaining competitively priced thanks to the expertise of our team of qualified structural engineers, innovative digital design process and advanced solutions.
For 30 years we have been creating space for amazing things to happen. Contact us today for more information at [email protected] or call 01730 237 190.
