Europarc offers the perfect package for Ultimate Group to grow

Ultimate Group Managing Director Jeremy Hodson, left, and Wykeland Group Asset Manager John Gouldthorp bump elbows on the deal for Ultimate to lease a new facility at Wykeland’s Europarc business park in Grimsby.

ULTIMATE Group is continuing its growth story by expanding into another facility at the premier business park on the south bank of the Humber.

The company – the UK’s largest independent flexible packaging manufacturer focused on the food industry – has signed a lease to occupy a high-spec, new-build unit developed by Wykeland Group at Europarc in Grimsby.

The 30,000 sq ft facility is one of two new buildings developed speculatively by Wykeland in the latest major phase of investment at the flagship business park.

The letting, secured ahead of the completion of the building, is a major vote of confidence in Europarc and underlines its status as the location of choice in North East Lincolnshire for industry-leading businesses.

Ultimate Group is expected to occupy the new building in the next few weeks, giving the business further capacity, increased flexibility and room for future growth, in addition to the company’s existing 120,000 sq ft of manufacturing, warehouse and office space at Europarc.

The overall investment project of which this transaction forms part will create up to 20 new jobs, adding to Ultimate Group’s existing workforce of 250.

John Gouldthorp, Asset Manager for Wykeland, owner and developer of Europarc, said: “We’re delighted Ultimate Group has committed to this major new facility, which will increase significantly its already substantial presence on site.

“Being based at Europarc has proven to be a key factor in the success of the business and has provided an important platform for growth.

“We’re always very pleased to see tenant businesses grow within our portfolio and we were happy for Ultimate Group to take a further building, which meets their needs now and into the future.

“Securing such a prestigious end user ahead of build completion justifies our commitment to the continued expansion of Europarc with this speculative investment in further high-quality facilities, especially in these uncertain times.”

Ultimate Group operates two divisions, Ultimate Packaging and Ultimate Digital, both from Europarc. The businesses provide state-of-the-art printing techniques and innovative packaging solutions to major UK retailers, packers and global brands, delivering enhanced shelf life, convenience, sustainability and other benefits to customers.

The expansion into new premises at Europarc is the latest in a series of significant investments by Ultimate Group over recent years to support the growth of the business and meet customer needs. These investments have included the recent addition of a sixth flexographic press, to increase printing capacity substantially.

Jeremy Hodson, Managing Director of Ultimate Group, said: “The additional control we will have from insourcing more of our warehousing and the increased overall capacity this transaction gives us is an essential part of our organic growth plans for the future.

“Having the additional space will give us many more opportunities to be more flexible in our use of our overall Europarc footprint to facilitate better workflows and increased efficiency, resulting in being able to be even more agile and cost-effective throughout our operations.

“It’s extremely challenging to move operations around and locate new machinery when running 24/7 and this investment will definitely free up much-needed space to help us to achieve that too.”

Europarc has more than 800,000 sq ft of high-quality business space, with over 2,500 people employed on site. Blue chip occupiers include supermarket giant Morrisons, Sea Fish Industry Authority, the Hain Daniels Group of leading food brands and 2 Sisters Food Group.

The two new neighbouring buildings have a prominent position on Genesis Way, the main route through the heart of the Europarc site. The buildings have been delivered for Wykeland by local contractor JemBuild, based in Humberston, near Grimsby.

Wykeland is now in discussions with a number of interested parties for the second unit, which has a floorspace of 15,000 sq ft, with ground-level loading doors, a secure service yard and dedicated car parking.

The £3.6m development of the latest buildings at Europarc has been supported by the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Pat Doody, Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP, said: "We are delighted to have provided £1.8m towards this important scheme which will help support the growth and expansion of our food sector. 

"The leasing of this unit to Ultimate Packaging confirms that we made a wise decision to contribute our Growth Deal funding to these bespoke units in the Europarc Food Enterprise Zone, and we look forward to seeing the wider economic benefits of this investment."

The Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government, Simon Clarke MP, said: “When we invested £1.8m in the Europarc scheme through the Local Growth Fund, our ambition was to unlock jobs and boost the number of businesses in the area.

“That is why I am so pleased to see that Ultimate Group have expanded their business at this facility. This is great news for the people of Grimsby and is the latest project to unlock 20 new jobs while supporting growth in the local area.”

Developed in phases over the past 20 years, Europarc offers high-quality and cost-effective accommodation for manufacturing, distribution and office-based businesses at all stages of their development.

It is well established as the leading location within the Humber region for businesses within and serving the food sector. The facilities and advantages it offers have reinforced Grimsby’s reputation as a major centre for food manufacturing, processing, storage, distribution and associated services.

In addition to the 15,000 sq ft building now available, Europarc has other sites which can accommodate units of up to 260,000 sq ft, to meet the specific requirements of end users, with outline planning permission already in place.

Further details of opportunities at Europarc are available from Duncan Willey of PPH Commercial, tel 01482 267513 or duncan.willey@pph-commercial.co.uk, and Iain McPhail of Knight Frank, tel 0113 297 1843 or iain.mcphail@knightfrank.com.