Leeds-based fashion and lifestyle retailer Joe Browns have completed a £1.5M warehouse extension.
The company, who employ 150+ people in Yorkshire, had just dug up their car park in preparation to extend their 60,000sq ft warehouse capacity by a further 27,000sq ft, when news of the first national lockdown hit last March. The retail sector became volatile overnight and the directors were faced with a difficult decision – should they pause the £1.5million investment and simply re-surface the car park, or should they proceed?
Joe Browns chose to proceed.
Darren Abbott, Financial Director, comments; “Despite the challenges 2020 posed, and there were a few, we never lost faith in the strength of the Joe Browns brand and our extraordinary offering. The importance of investing in our future remained, and so our commitment to progression continued.”
As shopping behaviour becomes ever more digital, Joe Browns new warehouse capacity is increasingly vital; “We now have an 87,000ft warehouse with the potential to create a further 40,000sq ft in the future with a double mezzanine. The difference the extra space makes to our operations is huge. It allows us to think even bigger when considering future plans and projects.”
The warehouse extension was completed by HACS and is a step towards future-proofing the business and continuing investment in the brand.
Projex Building Solutions were the appointed project manager, cost consultants and principal designers. Senior Surveyor, Glen Anderson, remarked; “It has been exciting to work with a leading Yorkshire brand to help facilitate increased demand and expansion, and great to see that the new 27,000sq ft warehouse facility has already brought positive benefits to the business.”
Abbott concludes “As we look forward to a new year in retail, it’s reassuring to know our dreams and intentions for the future are not restricted by our warehouse capacity. I anticipate more investment in both staff and facilities in the year ahead to accommodate the increasing demand online.”
