Easy Bathrooms has announced a £5m investment to take on a purpose-built 330,000 sq. ft. facility at Calder Park in Wakefield, which will become its new state-of-the-art HQ and distribution centre.
A team from Schofield Sweeney advised Easy Bathrooms on the deal.
The site which is owned, and being developed by, Tungsten Properties, will replace the Easy Bathroom`s existing 125,000 sq. ft. HQ in Birstall, although the business will retain the Birstall site, which also includes what was its 11th showroom in 2017.
The new HQ will sit alongside the company’s 92 showrooms across the UK, and take its physical footprint to over 1m sq ft.
The expansion will create 100-150 new jobs at the head office over the next two years, as well as 373 new staff to be employed throughout the UK at new showrooms. Already employing 580 people, it will make Easy Bathrooms the largest employer within the UK bathroom market.
“We are delighted to have worked with Craig and his team at Easy Bathrooms for a number of years, during which the business has continued to grow. The deal for the new HQ is a major transaction within the Yorkshire property market. It is another boost in the arm for the local economy particularly in the logistics sector which continues to outgrow other sectors of the real estate market. We are pleased to have been able to support the business with its strategic goals and wish Craig all the best for the future.” Basharat Ali, partner, commercial property.
The business plans to open its 100th store before Christmas 2021, having opened an average of 20 showrooms per year since 2017 – and 34 over the past year alone – whilst growing revenue by 33% to £60m.
Craig Waddington, who founded Easy Bathrooms in 2012 said “We have grown extraordinarily quickly, particularly during the pandemic. Our current Birstall HQ has served us well, but in truth, we outgrew it a long time ago. At our current HQ, we operate with just two roller shutters – there are no dock leveller doors – and we have just 7,000 pallet spaces. It’s incredible, and a testament to our warehouse team, that we’ve managed. It will massively improve our customer service levels and allow us to double our own fleet of delivery vehicles – which is absolutely key to our growth.”
Tungsten Properties, one of the UK’s leading mid-box industrial and warehouse developers, completed the purchase of the 15.2-acre Calder Park site in August 2020 from Peel L&P Business Parks for £9.75m.
Easy Bathrooms was advised by Basharat Ali (commercial property), Amanda Beresford (planning) and Andrew Hurst (construction).