The 37,000 sq ft facility is a former warehouse which was renovated and extended by the Manchester-based main contractor. Director Andrew Russell said: “It’s great to see businesses expanding and investing in the area. We’re pleased to have been able to come up with a design and programme solution for TrustFirstParts which will make this unit ideal for their needs.”
The new development will play an integral part in the further growth of the TrustFirstParts division, which saw strong revenue growth in 2014. The new business is an investment by Ford Retail of over £900,000 in the region and the distribution centre will be the biggest centre the business operates outside London. It will hold over £2.0m of parts stock, equivalent to around 25,000 different product lines and provide a daily delivery service to Ford dealers and the independent motor trade in the North West area with a fleet of over 25 Ford Transit vans.
TrustFirstParts is a rapidly growing business and specialises in the delivery of Ford parts. The new centre will enable a wider range of Ford parts to be delivered quickly and reliably to body shops, the independent motor trade and franchised dealers. Situated just a few minutes from the M6 motorway, the 37,000 sq ft site will provide excellent transport links and offer far greater stock availability.
The expansion will also see the business hire up to 35 additional employees locally, adding to the 29 staff already based in the local area. All current employees within TrustFirstParts Wilmslow and Warrington will be relocated to the new distribution centre once it opens, predicted to be later this year.
Steve Hood, Chairman and CEO at Ford Retail comments: “We are investing over £8m in our Ford businesses in 2015 and are proud that a large part of this is in the North West region and our Ford parts business. Parts distribution is an area we specialise in. We carry the largest dealer held stock of genuine Ford parts in the UK and have a fleet of over 180 delivery vans across the UK to ensure our customers get a great reliable service. We are looking forward to bringing our services to this new region and the motor trade in the North West.
“We are also delighted to be able to strengthen our team with so many new recruits from the local area and to strengthen our connection with the community.
Ford Retail takes its environmental responsibilities seriously and the new distribution centre in Warrington will be built with a range of important sustainability features, including motion censored LED lighting that turn on only when needed to minimise use of electricity, electric radiant heating and solar panels.
This is Russells’ third project at Kingsland Grange, just off the M6 at Warrington, and follows the completion of a 34,000 sq ft unit for FedEx last year.
