Original Factory Shop extends head office

DISCOUNT retailer The Original Factory Shop has completed a 100,000 sq ft extension of its Lancashire headquarters.

The extension at Orient Business Park in Burnley was undertaken by Barnfield Construction and has increased space to 250,000 sq ft.

The investment is part of the private-equity-owned group’s expansion plan – in the year to the end of March, 31 new stores were opened at a cost of nearly £5m  and a further 13 are expected to be opened this financial year.

The head office in Burnley controls all aspects and running of the group’s 160 stores including buying, merchandising, human resources, marketing, distribution, accounts and property.

Turnover at the group rose 16% to £131.3m – but margins were hit by increased discounting and two VAT increases in the period which led to a £1.6m dip in ebitda to £13.3m.

Angela Spindler, chief executive of  The Original Factory Shop said: “We are very pleased to announce the completion of our extended headquarters, which demonstrates our commitment to investing in the region and employing locally.

“The increased office space will help us to execute our ambitious expansion plans which will see new stores open in town centres and communities across the UK throughout the next few years.”