The international business of Federated Hermes has announced that Poole Bay Holdings Ltd, one of the UK’s leading online and catalogue marketers and manufacturers of business products, has signed for 67,019 sq ft of newly refurbished warehouse and office space at Fleets Corner Business Park in Poole.
The space will be split between 60,658 sq ft of warehousing at Unit D and 6,361 sq ft of office space on the first floor of Fleetsbridge House. The warehouse space is connected to the newly refurbished offices by way of a first-floor bridge, which will aid the smooth and efficient running of the business.
The deal is the latest in a series of signings that bring the cumulative amount of space let at the business park in 2021 to almost 150,000 sq ft. Occupiers who have committed to the park or upsized this year include:
- Global cosmetics brand Lush, who opened their 40,128 sq ft eco-friendly ‘Greenhub’ circular recycling centre
- CityFibre, the UK’s largest alternative provider of wholesale fibre infrastructure, signed for 2,378 sq ft
- Luxury outdoor garden furniture manufacturer, Rattanpark Furniture, selected Fleets Corner for its new company headquarters, occupying 11,091 sq ft of office and warehouse space.
- Cutwrights, the British specialist building materials firm, committed to 15,100 sq ft of warehouse space
- Existing tenant, Happy Homewares, expanded into a neighbouring warehouse unit, taking their space at Fleets Corner to 25,000 sq ft
Stephen Ellis, Senior Investment Manager, International Business of Federated Hermes, commented on the signing: “This major move by Poole Bay Holdings, which follows on from an extremely busy year of lettings activity at Fleets Corner, is testament to the significant work Federated Hermes have done to modernise and establish Fleets Corner as the prime business park in the region.
“The signing also reflects one of Fleets Corner’s main advantages; businesses can locate staff in high quality office space at the park, just moments away from their warehouses. This setup ensures companies can organise their logistics much quicker and react to any issues in the supply chain. With high quality warehouse and office space, amenities including a Travelodge and a Starbucks, and an ideal location, Fleets Corner is a strong proposition for businesses in the wider region.”
The signing facilitates a significant expansion for Poole Bay. The group manufactures and stocks over 30,000 products, ranging from bicycle shelters to picnic tables, first aid supplies to medical kit via various websites. The group also proudly manufacture some of their goods in the UK and are part of the Made in Britain organisation, which brings together the British manufacturing community.
Mike McKenna, Chief Executive, Poole Bay Holdings, added: “Our company continues to experience rapid growth and with demand increasing we needed somewhere to expand our operations. We not only needed new warehouse space, but modern office space. Fleets Corner Business Park has both uses, making it the perfect location for our company, now in its 30th year, to continue to grow. The fact that our office space on the first floor of Fleetsbridge House is connected to Unit D by a footbridge will be a huge logistical help for us going forward.”
Fleets Corner Business Park boasts a newly opened 81 room Travelodge hotel, which also includes an on-site bar and restaurant, and a Starbucks drive through and dine in café. Fleets Corner also benefits from the business park’s prime location, with good road links via the A31 to the M27 and M3 motorways, the international port at Southampton, the UK’s fourth largest, and international airports at both Bournemouth and Southampton.
Galena Real Estate, JLL and Goadsby acted for Hermes on the deal.
