A new lease agreement between logistics network Pall-Ex and commercial property developer and investor Barberry has been announced to construct a freight distribution hub in Leicestershire.
Pall-Ex’s new Centre of Excellence will cover 408,000ft², with an additional 100,000ft² canopy, on a 35-acre site, with the £80m facility will house Pall-Ex’s UK and European headquarters.
Scheduled to begin construction later this year, the Centre of Excellence has been designed aiming for EPC A+ and BREEAM Excellent accreditation.
To achieve the rating of EPC A+, the new hub incorporates a variety of energy-efficient and eco-friendly features, including electric vehicle charging stations, solar panels and designated green spaces.
Once complete, it will reportedly be the first purpose-built facility in the pallet network sector in the UK to be energy self-sufficient, setting the standard for environmentally responsible logistics.
Barberry lodged a planning application [27 May 2025] at Hinckley and Bosworth District Council for the development on land at Bardon, Leicestershire.
The proposals show it is expected to create around 500 construction jobs and an estimated 534 permanent jobs with work scheduled to start on site in Q4 this year, subject to planning.
Barberry development director Jonathan Robinson said: “We are thrilled to announce that we have secured a pre-let agreement with Pall-Ex to deliver the company’s new national centre of excellence in Leicestershire – the largest build-to-suit pre-let in the UK this year.
“Working closely with Pall-Ex we plan to create a new national palletised freight distribution center that will deliver new ESG credentials, carbon net zero in occupation, staff welfare recreation zone.
“After agreeing a long-term lease with the company, we have now submitted a planning application to Hinckley and Bosworth District Council for a 408,000ft² warehouse at Bardon, located just a couple of miles from junction 22 of the M1, providing access to the national motorway network.”
