News: Work begins on Home Décor's Rotherham facility

Work has begun on the 110,000 sq ft state-of-the-art factory for Sheffield-based Home Décor on the Woodhouse Link development in Rotherham.

As revealed on Rothbiz last year, Home Décor Innovations, one of the leading suppliers of floor-to-ceiling sliding doors and associated storage systems in Europe, is set to expand into new premises in Rotherham.

The developers, JF Finnegan has now completed a deal with Henderson Global Investors for the purchase and construction of the property which is on the site of the former Laycast Foundry at Fence.

The site was vacated by Laycast after their operations closed in 2006 and from 2008 onwards developer Woodhouse Link LLP (a joint venture partnership with JF Finnegan and Laycast Ltd) has undertaken a complete demolition and remediation programme to facilitate a brand new industrial and distribution park.

Home Décor is relocating from its current base at Drakehouse in Sheffield to the new facility which will offer 91,500 sq ft of high-tech workshop space in addition to 21,600 sq ft of offices/showroom space. JF Finnegan will start on site this month, utilising its extensive design and build capabilities to create the new premises which will be completed in December 2012.

The current site in Sheffield is being sold to ASDA so they can develop a new superstore.

Nick Gillott, director at JF Finnegan, said: "To have secured an agreement with a global investor and a local tenant as the first occupier at this exciting scheme is fantastic news for all parties involved as well as the local area which will benefit from the revival of the redundant site. This takes us a step closer to realising our goal of transforming the site into a major business and industrial hub which will create employment opportunities and attract inward investment into the area."

The company was renamed in 2004 when the the senior managers of the mirrored door division of Stanley Tools acquired the business in the USA.

Now part of the Canadian Renin Corporation and with a turnover of £22.9m for 2010, Home Décor has operating companies in the UK and Italy. They manufacture over one million doors per year, and supply hardware to manufacture a further one million doors to strategic partners throughout the rest of Europe, The Middle East and Africa.

Their products are available through major retailers including B&Q, Wickes, Focus and Homebase in Europe, and suppliers to the construction industry.

Max Crosby-Browne, CEO of Home Décor, said: "The new premises will match our growth ambitions as a business and it's a great location for our existing employees in the Sheffield area."

With 120 staff, Home Décor expects that the move can significantly increase turnover and the number of employees in the next five years.

Nigel Howard, head of Real Estate at DLA Piper in Sheffield, advised J F Finnegan on the project. He said: "Commercial development remains a rare occurrence in the current market so it is particularly satisfying to see this agreement come to fruition and for work to start on site. The area has been ripe for redevelopment for a number of years and, thanks to its location and scale, lends itself perfectly to a number of occupiers. A stone's throw from the M1 and able to offer all the space it needs, it is the ideal development for Home Décor Innovations."

Home Décor website

Images: JF Finnegan