Bathroom company to create 150 jobs in Wakefield

A bathroom company has announced it will take on a huge new warehouse in Wakefield, and create up to 150 jobs for the district.

Easy Bathrooms will be taking on the 330,000 sq ft purpose-built headquarters and distribution hub at Calder Park.

Whilst retaining its current 125,000 sq ft base in Birstall, Easy Bathrooms will invest £5m in the new facility.

The expansion will pave the way for the creation of 100 to 150 new jobs at the new head office over the next two years, as well as 373 new staff to be employed throughout the UK at new showrooms.

Due to open its 100th store before Christmas, the brand has opened an average of 20 showrooms per year since 2017 - and 34 in the past year alone - whilst growing revenue by 33 per cent to £60m. By 2023, Easy Bathrooms says it will have 175 showrooms.

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.

"Our stock has been spread across four smaller warehouses, which has been a logistical challenge.

"Our new site is 18m high at the eaves, and we will have 32 dock leveller doors. meaning that our fleet of vehicles can drive straight up to the warehouse ready to be loaded quickly and efficiently.

"We will be able to hold 58,000 pallets and significantly increase our stock holding, and which is important with the current global shipping disruptions.”

Easy Bathrooms’ £5m investment represents £2m worth of racking, £750,000 of Very Narrow Aisle (VNA) trucks as well as a state-of-the-art sprinkler system, forklift trucks and other specialist equipment.

“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,” added Craig.

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.

Tungsten achieved a planning consent from Wakefield Council in March 2021 which resulted in a change in planning consent from B1 offices to B8 distribution.

Cubico UK Ltd, trading as Easy Bathrooms, has taken the whole distribution facility which is a single warehouse which totals 291,000 sq. ft. with 39,000 sq. ft. for its office and a new showroom. All office staff at Birstall are able to be retained due to the proximity of the new site.

Construction started on September 6 with practical completion due in the second quarter of 2022.

Craig said: “At a time when others are asking staff to permanently work from home, and are closing bricks and mortar stores, we are proud to be expanding our footprint and securing jobs for people.”

The terms of the deal are £6.56 per sq ft on a 17-year lease.

Source: Bathroom company to create 150 jobs in Wakefield | Wakefield Express