Pets at Home, the UK’s leading pet care business, has opened a new, purpose-built distribution centre in Staffordshire. The state-of-the-art centre, which will employ more than 800 people, will support the company’s omnichannel capabilities and underpin the next decade of growth. The development, on a 70-acre site at Stafford North Business Park was overseen by leading commercial property developer Stoford with the building works carried out by McLaren Construction. Pets at Home’s Chief Executive Officer Lyssa McGowan marked the occasion at a special ribbon-cutting presentation also attended by her predecessor Peter Pritchard, who commissioned the development, and company founder Anthony Preston. Daniel Gallagher, Joint Managing Director of Stoford, and Councillor Jeremy Pert, from Stafford Borough Council were also amongst the attendees. Lyssa McGowan, who is also celebrating her first anniversary as Pets at Home’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “I’m incredibly proud to mark this significant moment for our business with some truly remarkable colleagues and former leaders who have each contributed so much to the success of our business. The team have worked incredibly hard to ensure our new fulfilment centre has the capacity and capability to support future growth for years to come as we continue maximising our omnichannel capabilities.” Pets at Home has signed a 20-year lease on the facility, which is close to Junction 14 of the M6. The building will provide 670,000 sq. ft of floor space, with adjacent land for an additional 100,000 sq. ft expansion, if required. Facilities will include two double-storey hub offices of 5,600 sq. ft and a recycling store, tote store and a gatehouse detached from the main building. A nature walk with bat and bird boxes and dog walking areas will be made available for the public and colleagues to use. The development also includes numerous environmentally friendly features such as solar panels, rainwater harvesting and electric car charging points. Daniel Gallagher, Stoford Joint Managing Director, said: “We have worked closely with Pets at Home and Tesco Pension Fund to develop this exciting new scheme that will sustain local jobs in Staffordshire. We have delivered a modern national storage and distribution centre, with a first-class design that has sustainability at its core.” Councillor Jeremy Pert, Deputy Leader of Stafford Borough Council, said: “I am really proud of having such a market leading and fast growing business as Pets at Home choose to set up their head office and national fulfilment operation in Stafford Borough, laying down their roots for the future and investing in the local area, and bringing a range of quality of roles. It shows that Stafford Borough is uniquely placed in the country to be a great place to live, work and thrive. Where Pets at Home leads, others will follow.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals 

Burnt Faith, the British Isle’s first dedicated brandy house has opened in Walthamstow following the comprehensive refurbishment of a 250 sq m industrial unit which stands on the site of a former Pentecostal church.  Work on the building’s transformation was carried out by BRAC Contracts and follows a series of work they carried out on the nearby Lockwood Way industrial estate. Simon Wright, founder of Burnt Faith, is a serial entrepreneur in the drinks space and known for breathing fresh life into staid categories.  Walthamstow proved to be the perfect home for the new urban distillery given its vibrancy and creativity, as Simon comments: “This three-year journey was inspired by a trip to Cognac which triggered the seed of the idea for Burnt Faith. I left inspired, not by what Cognac brands are but more by what they could never be. With a vision to push the boundaries of what brandy could be, we were keen to establish Burnt Faith in an area that is buzzing with creativity.  Walthamstow is already home to several breweries and a winery, so it felt like the perfect fit. “The BRAC team had worked on several of the breweries nearby so seeing the quality of those buildings and their creative aesthetic, made them the perfect choice for our project.” The £150k scheme of work on Burnt Faith’s two-storey distillery included full re-wiring and plumbing, lighting throughout, new bathroom facilities, a comprehensive re-paint both inside and out, and most notably the cutting of a 3x8m hole in the ceiling to accommodate the pot still which was imported from France. Commenting on the work carried out by BRAC, Simon continues: “There was a strong vision for the aesthetic of Burnt Faith painted onto a relatively blank canvas. It’s been a journey creatively and the BRAC team was very responsive to the adaptations we’ve made as we’ve gone along – the quality of their work is absolutely clear in the finish we’ve achieved here.” Concluding, Adam Clark, MD at BRAC Contracts, comments: “Having worked on the nearby Lockwood Way industrial estate where there are so many entrepreneurial drinks businesses, it was an honour to be approached by Simon and the team at Burnt Faith to bring their vision to life.  Dealing with the nuances of accommodating a pot still isn’t a challenge we face every day at BRAC, but it’s one that the team dealt with admirably and the distillery is now a truly beautiful and contemporary space. “Walthamstow is enjoying a huge amount of investment and we’d be delighted to work on further projects in the area.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals 

Panattoni, the largest logistics real estate developer in the UK and Europe, has started the speculative, net zero carbon development of a 417,570 sq ft logistics facility at Doncaster. Panattoni’s contractor, Winvic Construction, has commenced the construction of Panattoni Doncaster 420, following the approval of planning consent from Doncaster Council in February. Completion of the development is expected in January 2024. Panattoni Doncaster 420, which is the largest speculative logistics facility under construction in Yorkshire, is strategically located close to junction 3 of the M18, the M1, A1(M) and M62 motorways. It also benefits from its easy accessibility to the ports of Hull, Immingham and Liverpool. The facility continues Panattoni’s commitment to developing sustainable buildings. It will be net zero carbon, with  a BREEAM sustainability rating of ‘Excellent’ and an EPC rating of ‘A’. Other sustainability features include 20% electric vehicle charging spaces, 15% roof lights and the roof being designed to hold up to 100% photovoltaic panels. It will also have 37 loading doors, an 85m deep yard with parking for 74 HGVs, 358 parking spaces, 15m clear internal height and up to 1.5 MVa of power. Dan Burn, Development Director at Panattoni, said:“We are delighted to be underway with another sustainable speculative commitment in the South Yorkshire region and we were very pleased to welcome Cllr Glyn Jones and representatives of Business Doncaster to the site to witness the early progress we have made. “Panattoni Doncaster 420 occupies a prime location in South Yorkshire with fantastic transport links, providing easy access to both national and international consumer and industrial markets”. Danny Nelson, Director of Industrial, Distribution and Logistics at Winvic, said: “It’s great to be working in partnership with Panattoni once more and we’re delighted Winvic was selected to construct this facility due to our expertise in delivering projects with net zero carbon credentials and delivering social value.  “We will be working in partnership with Panattoni, our supply chain and the local authority to take an active role in the community, committing through an Employment and Skills Plan, to prioritise training and employment opportunities for local people and businesses. The team has just commenced the initial groundworks programme and we aim to build on our already excellent relationship with Panattoni throughout the project”. Letting agents are CPP, Colliers International and Cushman & Wakefield. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals 

JW FILSHILL, one of Scotland’s oldest independent food and drink wholesalers, has completed its relocation from Hillington to its purpose-built distribution centre at Westway near Glasgow Airport. The phased move kickstarts an exciting period of growth for the fifth-generation family business that supplies KeyStore convenience stores across Scotland and the north of England plus national accounts including the Scottish Prison Service. It also has 1,600 independent customers. Filshill, which last year ramped up investment ahead of its move to its new distribution centre with the acquisition of the independent Iain Hill Ltd wholesale business, has relocated its distribution centre and head office in order to future-proof the business. Simon Hannah, Filshill’s chief executive officer, said that the new 120,400 sq ft depot at Westway will allow the wholesaler to increase its operational capacity and open more stores in Scotland and the north of England, from Wick in the far north to Doncaster in south Yorkshire. “Operating out of these bespoke premises, which have been designed to our exact specification as part of our 10-year growth strategy, will improve our efficiency and productivity as we invest in the long-term success of the company, protect future revenue streams and increase customer satisfaction,” he said. “We are an award-winning wholesaler with ambitious growth plans and our new distribution centre puts us in an ideal position to achieve our ambitions, expand the KeyStore estate, and work in partnership with our customers and suppliers for mutual benefit.” Mr Hannah said that the acquisition of Iain Hill, a wholesaler with a strong foothold in soft drinks, confectionery, snacks and other impulse products, had bolstered Filshill’s modern fleet of vehicles as well as strengthening its pool of experienced staff. “While we are disappointed that the pandemic and unforeseen planning issues delayed our move to Westway, we are delighted to now be fully operational as a business from what is one of the most modern and efficient food and drink distribution depots in the UK. “Westway is the culmination of considerable planning to create the infrastructure that will enable us to recognise our ambitions and we will use the facility to drive unrivalled operational efficiency and promote the keenest prices as we aspire to become the most frictionless wholesaler in Scotland for our customers and suppliers to do business with. “Incorporating the high-level skills of our people across the business and the most up-to-date technology and equipment, Westway marks the start of a new phase of a journey for the Filshill family that started in Paisley in 1875.” The 16-metre-high warehouse – which has 211 solar panels covering 400 sqm of roof space – has 12 loading docks and an innovative four-floor pick tower which can hold approximately 1,520 pallets and, in addition, standard storage racking with capacity to hold 8,650 pallets. Gravity-fed live racking benefits from a semi-automated shuttle system which holds 1,155 pallets of Filshill’s fastest-selling products, generating significant operational efficiency. Filshill, meanwhile, has developed the new distribution centre in adherence to its long-established strategy around benchmarking its carbon footprint, identifying areas where it can positively influence a reduction in its carbon impact and work towards a net-zero emissions position. “We are delighted to see Filshill’s fantastic new purpose-built facility officially open here at Westway” said Rob Large, director of Canmoor. “It is a tremendous endorsement to Westway and we are thrilled to assist Filshill in facilitating its exciting and ambitious expansion plans in both UK and international markets.” In the last financial year, driven by Filshill’s environmental team, the company saw a reduction of 9% in its intensity ratio measure of carbon per case delivered. The new premises provide electric vehicle charging points and a wildflower garden is being created. Beehives are also being put in place. The distribution centre has also been designed with the comfort of staff in mind with internal office accommodation carefully created to make the most of natural light and provide colleagues with a comfortable working environment that will help boost both productivity and mental health. Filshill’s 10-year strategy focuses heavily on engagement with its workforce on health and wellbeing, particularly with regard to mental health. “This remains at the heart of our strategy and we recognise that as a responsible employer we need to do this not only for our employees and their families but also because of the positive impact it has on our business and our customers. “Our safety-first culture is a cornerstone of everything we do and our workforce retention and ability to recruit has been positively impacted by these initiatives. The new working environment at Westway will further cement this commitment.” Filshill saw turnover increase to £200 million – up 4.4% from £191 million – in the year ending January 31, 2022. Operating profits increased from £2.3 million to £2.7 million while it recorded gross profit of £17 million with net assets growing to £17.1 million compared to £15.2 million the previous year, an increase of 12.6%. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals