Wells & Young’s Brewing Company has opened a brand new £10m green distribution centre in Bedford a mere 22 weeks after construction began.
The 136,000 sq ft building is located at G.Park Bedford where Gazeley is developing in joint venture with Simons Estates and the Whitbread Trust.
The warehouse has been designed to offset up to 208 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. It incorporates Gazeley’s sustainable design concept and features eco-initiatives to reduce operational costs, energy and water use, improve energy control and provide clean energy from renewable sources such as roof mounted photovoltaics and a solar water system to provide hot water.
The building is set to achieve a 20 per cent reduction in carbon emissions, a 60 per cent reduction in water use and provide a £16,284 reduction in operational costs.
Chairman Paul Wells said: “This site is the single biggest investment the company has ever made and shows our commitment to keeping brewing in Bedford. This is an incredibly important step forward for Wells & Young’s, as it means that we now have the distribution capabilities to match our brewing side.”
The brewer is a leading supplier of specialist beers in Britain and one of the top three brewers of cask beer in the country, with two of the fastest growing national brands, Young’s Bitter and Wells Bombardier. There are plans for a “sister” centre in Croydon to manage the London, south and south-west distribution.
Around 21 acres of development land remains available at G.Park Bedford capable of supporting a warehouse building of up to 270,000 sq ft.
Joint letting agents Brown & Lee and Savills are quoting rents starting from £5.75 per sq ft. Gerald Eve acted for Wells’ & Young’s Brewing Company in the freehold development agreement.
