JLR supplier Yazaki expands to meet demand

JAPANESE-owned automotive supplier Yazaki Europe is to expand in Coventry as its business continues to grow.

Construction work has now started on site at Brandon Court to extend the offices by 50% to meet the needs of the firm, which is a supplier to Jaguar Land Rover.

Yazaki instructed Birmingham-based property consultancy KWB to source new offices of 12,000 sq ft on the East side of Coventry.

However, KWB says it soon became very apparent that, whilst there were several opportunities to acquire brand new offices in Coventry on a design and build basis, there was a severe shortage of existing good quality office space.

The firm negotiated with the landlord the refurbishment of the client’s existing 8,000 sq ft offices, as well as the construction of 4,000 sq ft of new build.

The project, which is due to complete in September 2014, is being managed through a combination of KWB’s office acquisition team, which negotiated the occupational lease and the agreement to lease, and KWB Workplace, which is project managing the office space design, space planning, procurement of furniture and fit-out, and complete move management.

Yazaki general manager Paul Spencer said: “The extension to our offices in Coventry has been essential as our business has expanded rapidly with increased volumes of business with key customers, including Jaguar Land Rover, Honda, Aston Martin Lagonda and McLaren.

“To service our clients and contracts, we have taken on a number of new, highly skilled staff and our ideal location for these employees and the operation has always been the east side of Coventry.

“We are delighted to have found a solution to our expansion needs and limit the upheaval of an office relocation away from Brandon Court, which has been our home in the Midlands for many years.”

John Bryce, partner at KWB, said: “What makes this office relocation different and testing is the logistics of Yazaki having to move into temporary office space – or ‘swing space’ – in an adjacent vacant office building and then move back again once the office space restructuring and refurbishment has been completed.

“The fact that there was no existing office space in Coventry to suit Yazaki’s requirements highlights the rarity factor of high quality office space in the east Coventry and Binley location.

“Yazaki is also another example of the buoyancy of the automotive sector, particularly Jaguar Land Rover, impacting positively upon its supply chain and, in turn, starting to generate office space requirements.”

The landlord for Brandon Court, R W Estates, is represented by Martyn Howard of Drake Howard Property.