Potter Space has over 1.6m sq ft of warehouse space: if that was one single site it would be amongst the largest one percent of warehouses in the UK, but instead, Potter Space specialises in the mid-box market for industrial property, so the square footage is spread across their five business parks in Ripon, Selby, Ely, Droitwich and Knowsley. Most of my visits have been to larger warehouses over 100,000 sq ft, so it was good to see something different at this Droitwich site with units ranging from 3,000 sq ft up to 83,000.
The UKWA Awards recently honoured Executive Chairman Derrick Potter with a special trophy for his long service to the logistics industry and unstinting support for our organisation. Always a true visionary, Derrick originally took on this site in 1979 and his enthusiasm for it remains undimmed forty-five years later. There is a lot going on here and it is exciting for the locality.
Nigel Huddlestone MP, who joined the visit, explained that his constituency stretches across different regions of England. To the South, Evesham’s economy is dependent upon market gardening and the tourism associated with the Cotswolds. Further North, with its history of commercial saltworks and its proximity to Birmingham, this town christened a ‘Spa’ by the local Victorian entrepreneur John Corbett, is largely industrial.
It was Nigel’s first visit to Potter Space – and mine – but Shawn Riley, Head of Economic Development at Wychavon District Council has been here before and is familiar with Derrick, his colleagues and their vision of a “Home for Business”. The team from Potter Space explained that their engagement with the local authority is based on a fifteen-year timeframe and their partnership with Shawn is essential.
A recent report Potter Space commissioned from the real estate experts at Savills, showed that although over 55 percent of the jobs in logistics properties are in small to mid-box warehouses, this important sector of the market is the subject of ‘suppressed demand’. Not enough mid-box warehouses are being built, so businesses have to stay put, making do with their existing premises. This in turn is stifling productivity and holding back economic growth.
Across the logistics park we met up with several tenants, including Volker Laser, Akzo Nobel/Carrs Coatings, Bowker Group and Falcon Flooring. All were keen to emphasise how the Midlands location is efficient for their supply chain needs and the strong relationship with the team at Potter Space is another valued reason to base themselves here.
The tour ended in Potter Space’s newest unit which will provide a further 55,000 sq ft once it is completed. With 38 acres in total, and a partnership approach to local planning, there is plenty more to come from Potter Space here in Droitwich, addressing the unmet demand for mid-box development, exposed in their recent report.
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