Booker Belmont Wholesale (BBW) is scouring the M25 corridor for an 8 – 10.11ha (20 – 25 acre) site for a fourth regional distribution warehouse to complete its £95m national distribution network.
Through its subsidiary McConnell Properties, the company is conducting the search on an in-house basis with no external agency help. “We are looking at all opportunities, ” says group property director John Flexen. “There is no short list.”
Booker Belmont’s second and third regional centres will be at at Emersons Green, north Bristol , and at Point 23, Haydock, Lancashire. Its first centre, due to open next month (June), is located at Houston Industrial Estate, Livingstone, Scotland. The network will serve BBW’s 160 cash and carry stores throughout the country.Booker is planning a 30,378 sq m (327,000 sq ft) regional distribution centre at Emersons Green. Royal London Insurance will buy out the other two owners of the site – CRS Properties and a local private landowner – and hold the development as an investment. Robert Swan, deputy chief surveyor of Royal London Asset Management, said Royal London had owned most of the site for site for a long time. Alder King introduced BBW to the site.
A planning application has been submitted to South Gloucestershire Council. About 350 people will be employed at the £21m centre, which is expected to open in mid 1997. The company’s present distribution base at Stover Road, Yate, will close.
At Haydock, BBW is to build a 32,516sq m (350,000sq ft) warehouse on Caddick Developments’ Point 23 scheme. It will retain land for a 4,645sq m (50,000sq ft) extension. The land price was £370,645per ha (£150,000 per acre) for the serviced site. King Sturge and Grimley acted jointly for the developer.
EGi News 08/05/96
