Wincanton expands Scottish operations with new distribution centre

PRESS RELEASE

Deal with Knight Property Group is one of Scotland’s largest industrial transactions in the past year

Wincanton, a leading supply chain partner for UK business, today announces that it is expanding its Scottish operations, with establishment of a new distribution centre, strategically located in the heart of Scotland’s ‘golden triangle’.

The company has secured a 15-year lease for the brand new 126,960 sq ft unit at the award-winning Belgrave Logistics Park, in Bellshill, North Lanarkshire. This significant transaction, agreed with developer and landlord, Knight Property Group, marks one of the largest industrial deals completed in Scotland this year and the largest letting of a speculative new build since 2018 for the Greater Glasgow market.

This deal signifies Wincanton’s continued growth and commitment to Scotland. It follows the successful launch of their Scottish Gateway hub in Motherwell just last April, spanning an impressive 153,000 sq ft.

The new distribution centre in Bellshill is strategically positioned, only six miles away from the Motherwell hub. It will cater to the demands of an expanding client base, underlining Wincanton’s dedication to enhancing operational efficiencies and service capabilities nationwide.

Derek Stirling, Country Manager for Scotland at Wincanton, said: “This new distribution centre, our second in Scotland within two years, reinforces our long-term commitment to Scotland and promises enhanced services and efficiencies for our customers and partners across the country.

“We are delighted with the high-quality space and accessibility of our new facility at Belgrave, conveniently located in close proximity to our existing hub in Motherwell.”

James Barrack, Chairman and Founder of Knight Property Group added: “Securing Wincanton for the largest unit at Belgrave underpins and reinforces our strategy of committing to the speculative development of the best units in the best locations across Scotland. With lettings already secured with Likewise Group and RES at the park, the last two units are seeing high levels of interest and we hope to be able to place them under offer very soon.”

Belgrave Logistics Park, a £55m brand new speculative development by Knight Property boasts a total area of 261,193 sq ft across five buildings.

Wincanton’s unit is designed to a high specification, featuring high-performance composite wall and roof cladding, an internal height of 12 meters, four level access doors, and 16 dock levellers. Additionally, it includes a 2,870 sq ft office space, 63 car parking spaces, and an expansive 55-metre deep yard.

It stands out as one of the greenest industrial/logistics parks in Scotland, boasting ‘all-electric’ buildings with impressive environmental credentials such as an EPC rating of ‘A+’ and a BREEAM ‘excellent rating’. The park also features electric car charging points, solar photovoltaic panels, energy-efficient LED lighting, heat recovery air conditioning, and water management systems for conservation.

Alan Gilkison, Managing Partner of Ryden said: “This deal represents one of the largest industrial transactions to be concluded in Scotland over the past year, showcasing Knight Property Group’s commitment to delivering quality speculative developments in key geographical areas. With three out of the five units already let at Belgrave Logistics Park, strong occupier interest is noted for the remaining space.”

Ross Sinclair, Director of Savills added: “It was a pleasure to see Wincanton and Knight act transparently and expediently throughout this transaction as this was critical in achieving the eventual successful outcome to meet the objectives of Landlord and Tenant alike.”

Ryden and JLL are agents for Knight Property Group, whilst Savills represented Wincanton.

The project architect was SPACE Solutions, the engineer was Fairhurst, QS/ CA was Axiom, Wallace Whittle were M&E, with the main contractor Clark Contracts.