Joinery and kitchens giant Howdens starts work on £100m expansion of its Liverpool city region factory, safeguarding hundreds of jobs. Tony McDonough reports
Howdens has started work on the £100m expansion of Runcorn cabinet making facility.
After securing planning consent in June, contractor Caddick has now put the first spade in the ground on the project that will increase the size of the facility, which employs 450 people, from 500,000 sq ft to 700,000 sq ft.
Although the expansion is not expected to lead to a significant increase in the number of people employed there it will safeguard the existing jobs. There will also be employment and training opportunities during the construction phase, expected to last three years.
When complete the factory, located close to the Mersey Estuary, will house the latest manufacturing machinery and one of the largest cabinet production lines in the world.
This expansion supports the Howdens expansion plans both in the UK but also its fledgling kitchen and joinery businesses in Ireland and France. It has seen Howdens grow its revenues by over 45% to more than £2.3bn since the pandemic.
As part of the expansion Howdens purchased the freehold of the site. It will include an additional 117,800 sq ft of manufacturing space, 52,000 sq ft of warehouse accommodation, 18,100 sq ft of storage racking and a 15,400 sq ft external canopy area.
READ MORE: EasyJet to add ninth aircraft at Liverpool
Andrew Livingston, Howdens chief executive, said; “Our Runcorn manufacturing facility is critical to our business and has been for many years. We are proud of our skilled teams who make the facility what it is.
“This expansion matters to the community and to UK manufacturing. Today’s investment demonstrates our commitment to UK skilled jobs and strengthening Howdens’ capability to support future growth here and abroad.”
Julian Lee, operations director at Howdens, added: “It’s an important day for Runcorn. This factory has been making our cabinets since 1995, and this investment secures our ability to keep manufacturing 100% of them in the UK for our depots and their customers.
“The real driver is the people here. Their commitment, work ethic and skill are the reason we produce the best cabinets in the industry.”