SmartParc SEGRO Derby delivers HelloFresh as its first customer

SmartParc SEGRO Derby delivers HelloFresh as its first customer

02 February 2022

International recipe box and meal kit delivery company HelloFresh is set to become the first customer at SmartParc SEGRO Derby, the 1.85m sq ft, high-tech food manufacturing and distribution campus, after agreeing to lease a 118,000 sq ft unit for the preparation and distribution of their well-known and hugely popular meal kit boxes.

SEGRO and SmartParc have secured the maiden customer less than six months after announcing the formation of a partnership to create a new asset class dedicated to 'state of the art' food manufacturing and distribution in Derby (Spondon), paving the way for the food industry to collaborate to meet the challenges of sustainable production whilst addressing the need for efficient direct routes to consumers.

With SEGRO as the site developer and owner and SmartParc providing the onsite managed services, together they will support the food and drink sector in its efforts to increase production efficiency and drive reduced operational costs through collaborative working.

Laurent Guillemain, UK CEO at HelloFresh, said:

"We are really excited to be opening this new distribution centre in Derby and getting to know the local community. Hundreds of operation, distribution, and management jobs will be made available, and our plan is to further grow our Derby presence, offering even more local jobs in the future.

"It's also fantastic to be one of the first major brands to join SmartParc. The campus sets a precedent for the best in sustainable design and collaboration. Their ethos of bringing people and businesses together to meet the challenges of sustainable food production, while providing opportunities for the local area, align perfectly with our own values and we're excited to join this community".

Andrew Pilsworth, Managing Director, National Logistics at SEGRO, said:

"The pace at which we have been able to secure our first customer, hot on the heels of establishing our partnership with SmartParc, demonstrates there is good occupier demand and interest from across the food and drink sector for space at this pioneering development.

"Sustainability is at the heart of how we all do business, which makes Hello Fresh and SmartParc SEGRO Derby the ideal fit for each other. We look forward to welcoming them as the first of many new customers."

Jackie Wild, Founder and Chief Executive at SmartParc, said:

"We are absolutely delighted to welcome HelloFresh as our first anchor client in this ground-breaking new SmartParc development. They share our ambition to see food businesses operate in a more sustainable way, and also to build close links with the Derby community. We look forward to developing our partnership with them over the next few years, and to delivering all the commercial, operational and environmental benefits that SmartParc is uniquely able to provide."

SmartParc SEGRO Derby will create 5,000 direct jobs and enable a new collaborative, flexible work model to accommodate people's evolving lifestyles with the ambition of reconnecting the local community to food production.

SmartParc SEGRO Derby will be home to the first low-carbon food manufacturing community. A central distribution hub to consolidate goods in deliveries will streamline the distribution chain, providing a reduction in cost for occupiers whilst improving sustainability by eliminating food miles. From design and material selection to support for eventual occupiers, SmartParc and SEGRO will help to ensure excellent environmental performance and bold efficiency gains at the ground-breaking site.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Media enquiries:

Lara Al-Sabti on behalf of SEGRO - [email protected], T: +44 7917 494 089

Hume Brophy on behalf of SmartParc - [email protected], T: +44 7772124299

About SmartParc SEGRO Derby

SmartParc SEGRO Derby is part of a £300 million total investment to put Derby City and the UK at the heart of the future of sustainable food manufacturing globally. The planned 112-acre campus will combine world-class food production facilities with shared utilities, amenities and services to provide a highly sustainable, low-cost production base for food manufacturers. It will provide 5,000 new jobs in the area over the coming years.

SmartParc was founded to address the challenges facing the food sector. The 1.85m sq ft collaborative hub at Spondon represents a pioneering technical breakthrough. It will provide food manufacturing facilities ranging from start-up incubation units through to large-scale manufacturing facilities ranging from 50,000 - 400,000 sqft. The site will also be home to a Food Manufacturing Technology Centre of Excellence to future-proof the food industry, offering education and career opportunities to secure both the local and global food supply chains.

SmartParc will provide a new sustainable blueprint for the food industry. Climate change has highlighted the need for far-reaching industry change and, in response, SmartParc will re-engineer current food manufacturing and distribution processes. It will create a new, forward-thinking ecosystem of food production, looking towards new technologies such as vertical farming to disconnect weather from our ability to produce sustainable food.

About SEGRO

SEGRO is a UK Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), listed on the London Stock Exchange and Euronext Paris, and is a leading owner, manager and developer of modern warehouses and industrial property. It owns or manages 8.8 million square metres of space (95 million square feet) valued at £17.1 billion serving customers from a wide range of industry sectors. Its properties are located in and around major cities and at key transportation hubs in the UK and in seven other European countries.

For over 100 years SEGRO has been creating the space that enables extraordinary things to happen. From modern big box warehouses, used primarily for regional, national and international distribution hubs, to urban warehousing located close to major population centres and business districts, it provides high-quality assets that allow its customers to thrive.

A commitment to be a force for societal and environmental good is integral to SEGRO's purpose and strategy. Its Responsible SEGRO framework focuses on three long-term priorities where the company believes it can make the greatest impact: Championing Low-Carbon Growth, Investing in Local Communities and Environments and Nurturing Talent.

See www.SEGRO.com for further information.

About SmartParc

SmartParc is a revolution in food production and creates a new asset class in the property market, allowing wider investment opportunities to support the largest manufacturing sector in the UK. Growing and producing food is critical to us all - we must eat to survive. As Covid 19 and Brexit have demonstrated, as an island nation our food supply chain is fragile, currently depending on 52% of our supply from other countries.

Against the backdrop of Cop26 and the UN report on Climate change forecasting relative Armageddon unless we make significant changes to how we live, SmartParc provides an answer to responsibly tackle the needs of the food industry, giving our nation food security, whilst drastically reducing the impact of growing and making food on our planet.

The campus-style Parcs will provide food manufacturers and suppliers with new communities to foster innovation and collaboration. Our Parcs will streamline food production and distribution with centrally shared facilities and services to safeguard our food security and ensure readiness for future challenges.

SmartParc will reduce the investment risk for any food business wishing to expand or switch to a lower cost production base and reach new customers. It will create an environment which makes healthy yet convenient food accessible.

It is our ambition to build 7 SmartParcs within the UK and 100 SmartParcs around the world, with particular focus on delivering food to the developing world most impacted by climate change. By providing these communities with manufacturing and growing facilities which harness solar and wind and reclaim and recycle water and energy we can provide an engineering solution to delivering food security to the world.

Finding a balance between sustaining ourselves and our planet requires a new approach.

That approach is SmartParc.

For more information:www.smart-parc.com

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