Intense pressure for warehouse space in the Golden Triangle is leading our clients to take the only reasonable solution – install a mezzanine.
In the so-called Golden Triangle of logistics – the area between the M1, M6 and M42 motorways, from Birmingham in the west to Nottingham and Derby in the north – warehouse real estate is at an absolute premium.
But while there may be c. 150 million square feet (14 million m2) of warehouse space in the Midlands – more than Greater London, Wales and Scotland combined – vacancy rates have hit record lows of under 2%, compared to 7% a year before, according to research by Knight Frank reported in LogisticsManager.
The appeal is clear. Distribution centres located within this area put businesses within easy reach of major motorways, ports, railways and airports – in fact, it’s possible to deliver to more than 90% of the UK population within four hours.
Intensive demand and premium cost
But being a highly desirable location means intensive demand and premium cost.
According to the latest Big Shed briefing by Savills, take-up in the Midlands saw the strongest first half of the year ever recorded in 2022, double the long-term average.
The scarcity of warehouse sites in the region means “it is now quite common for pre-let to be secured prior to practical completion and in some cases even before a spade has been put in the ground,” reported LogisticsManager.
Telford, Northampton and Leicester are all in the Top 10 locations with the least warehouse space available in the UK, according to research by warehouse management systems company Orderwise, which analysed data from Rightmove.
Mezzanines make best use of space
It’s why forward-thinking companies are side-stepping the crisis in warehouse property by installing mezzanines.
With mezzanines our clients are making the very best use of their existing space, doubling, tripling or quadrupling their capacity.
They can service customer demand into the future without the crippling expense and disruption of moving to new premises.
The Golden Triangle has become even more important with the growing reliance on online sales, and this is borne out by our experience. We have installed:
- a three-tier mezzanine for Tesco in Daventry, totalling 23,000 m2 for automated garment hanging storage.
- a multi-tier mezzanine solution at a recently completed project in Northampton. With each tier covering over 200m2 the mezzanine has maximised the available space and created an ideal storage area for our client.
- two two-tier mezzanines over 14,000 m2 in total for Global Reach Logistics in Daventry, with shelving installed to put the space to its full potential.
- a multi-tier installation in a smart warehouse for one of the UK’s biggest sports retailers in Derby.
Qualified structural engineers
The expertise of our qualified structural engineers is valued by the biggest operators in the industry, which is why we have completed projects for many of the logistics giants.
It is also why we are members of the UK Warehouse Association, the voice of the UK logistics industry.
Leading Logistics director and Consultant Bill Somerton at Bisham Consulting has explained the value that Hi-Level Mezzanines offer in this interview. Bill has worked on projects around the world, from Europe to Thailand, Australia to the United States. He has come across many “elegant” solutions that don’t answer the “correct” question … so when it comes to installing a mezzanine, he has proven expertise as to what will and won’t work.
Minimise supply-chain risk
Another factor is that installing mezzanines allows our clients to minimise the risk of supply-chain fluctuations caused by global instability and strikes. They can maximise capacity to hold more stock on site, avoiding unexpected shortages, missing supply deliveries, last-minute substitutes and quality failures.
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.
