Yearsley Group starts £20m expansion at Heywood

John Hudson, Chief Executive of Rochdale Development Agency; Andrew Russell, Managing Director of Russell Construction; Harry Yearsley, Managing Director of Yearsley Group; Mayor, Councillor James Gartside and Mayoress, Councillor Jane Gartside of Rochdale

Ground breaking ceremony as work starts on new Heywood “Super Hub”.

Yearsley Group managing director Harry Yearsley has welcomed Rochdale’s Mayor and Mayoress, Councillor James Gartside and Councillor Jane Gartside, to help celebrate the official ‘ground breaking’ as work begins on the group’s £20million expansion in Heywood.

The 13.6 acre site, adjacent to the group’s headquarters at the Hareshill Distribution Park, will accommodate a 160,000sq ft unit to satisfy the needs of a growing customer base and increased demand from existing customers. Up to 150 new jobs will be created within the local community.

Harry Yearsley, managing director of Yearsley Group said: “This ground breaking ceremony marks an exciting time for Yearsley, as we start work on the new cold store. It’s paramount that we react to the demands of new and existing customers; hence the expansion plans within our operation. On completion, Heywood will become the first of two national ‘Super Hubs’ for Yearsley Group, enabling us to consolidate more stock in single, strategically located stores, thereby increasing efficiency and reducing carbon output.”

The project will be built and fitted out in three phases by Trafford-based Russell Construction; with an anticipated deadline of early 2013 for the first two phases. The new cold store will provide a further 40,000 pallet capacity, on top of the current 40,000 capacity - doubling Heywood’s capacity and enabling the company to create its northern ‘Super Hub’ where stock will be consolidated for more efficient delivery into the UK’s major retailers and food service organisations.

The new steel frame building will be similar in style to the neighbouring headquarters facility and will be super insulated, to help reduce energy use. The plans also include rainwater harvesting system to feed the cooling systems and save on fresh water usage.

John Hudson, chief executive of Rochdale Development Agency, said: “It is great to see another major investment underway in the borough, this time at Hareshill Distribution Park in Heywood. This important expansion for the Yearsley Group not only creates up to 150 new jobs but secures the employment of the existing 300 members of staff, the majority of which come from within a 10 mile radius.”