Food distributor to create 150 jobs at new facility
A Loughborough-based fresh and frozen food distributor has revealed plans to move into a 28,000 sq ft industrial unit in Derby which it says will support 150 jobs for local people.
Ocean King, which supplies fresh produce and dry goods to the restaurant sector from its Leicestershire base, acquired the £5m, custom-designed storage facility at Victory Park in a deal brokered by Salloway Property Consultants.
The company expects to move into the speculatively developed site by the end of the year.
Its new neighbours will include Scitek, Grady Joinery, Gardner Aerospace, Seamers Specialist Joinery, Western Power Distribution and Intertek NDT.
The unit occupies the final plot at Victory Park, which is located to the south of the city near Rolls-Royce’s Sinfin campus.
It includes offices, warehouse accommodation incorporating both refrigerated and frozen cold storage facilities, loading bays and parking provision for 50 vehicles.
Salloway Property Consultants acted on behalf of developer Revelan Group to bring Ocean King across the East Midlands.
Paul Doolan, of Revelan Group, said: “We are pleased to be working with Ocean King on their bespoke new premises in Derby, where our contractor Amphion Construction Limited are already making good progress on the building.”
Hugo Beresford from Salloway Property Consultants, who are joint agents on the Victory Park scheme along with FHP Property Consultants, said: “It has been a pleasure to help put this deal together, but it is bittersweet to have disposed of the final unit on the scheme.
“We received a good level of interest in the unit, which was being built out speculatively by the client, and I’m delighted that we were able to agree sale terms with Ocean King during the construction process, enabling them to have a say in the final specification and configuration of the property. The result is a high-quality bespoke facility that I’m sure will serve their business operations and plans for growth over the years to come.”
Ocean King, which was represented by property asset consultants Kirby-Welch & Co, covers the whole of the UK.
Managing director Steven Thai said: “Having just celebrated our 25th anniversary this year, Ocean King are incredibly excited to be coming to Derby. On top of our established food service business, our investment of £5 million in this brand-new premises will allow us to actuate our dreams of having a state-of-the-art well-being centre for our employees and also a business hub bringing together like-minded people.
“This move will open up 150 jobs for the people of Derby; we will be employing a full team ranging from senior leaders to forklift drivers and HGV drivers. From our humble beginnings as Vietnamese immigrants, we are proud of this achievement and look to continue to ‘create opportunities and enrich the lives’ of all those associated with Ocean King.”
James Kirby-Welch, of Kirby-Welch & Co, added: “The freehold acquisition at Victory Park, Derby, presented Ocean King with an ideal strategic location within the East Midlands and with opportunity to customise the unit allowing for future growth over the next phase for the family business.”
