Warwickshire the "perfect location" as major company is lured from London
A prime employment site in Leamington Spa will be brought back to life in 2017 when furniture manufacturer Vitsoe opens its new headquarters and factory at the former Ford Foundry location in Princes Drive.
Around 200 jobs will be created when the company opens its new HQ next year, possibly as early as spring.
And Vitsoe managing director Mark Adams believe Warwickshire is "the perfect location" for his company, which is relocating from London to Leamington "for the long term."
The Princes Drive site has been vacant since 2008 when Ford closed the foundry after more than 60 years, having opened during it during the Second World War after moving from Ireland.
Now the area will enjoy a new lease of business life under Vitsoe which, formed in Germany in 1959, has traded in the UK since 1985 and been based in London since 1995.
"As a manufacturer we are focused on building for the long term," said Mr Adams. "So we are delighted to be part of the next era in Leamington’s rich industrial heritage by bringing skilled jobs and a growing manufacturing business to the area.
"More than 20 years after Vitsœ moved its operations to the UK from Germany, we are in the privileged position to be expanding worldwide. And now, in our long search for a new home, we have found the perfect location."
The luring of Vitsoe from London is another feather in the cap for Warwickshire as a business-base.
The internationally-known company chose to relocate because of Leamington’s excellent road and rail connections and the proximity to Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal, from which they will ship to customers all over the world.
The majority of Vitsœ’s suppliers, meanwhile, are based in the ‘Midlands Engine’ region, making it the ideal home for the manufacturer. Vitsœ was also drawn to the town’s distinguished architecture and the community’s rich industrial heritage.
Groundwork is now underway at the 3.3-acre site on a new building designed by a world-class team including acclaimed designer Kim Wilkie, whose landscaping of the grounds will reflect the ridge-and-furrow fields found around Leamington.
The site’s location near the town centre, railway station and National Cycle Network route 41 are also important factors in the move, allowing employees to travel without reliance on cars.
Vitsœ is investing in Leamington Spa for the long term. In February the company raised funding for its relocation by inviting its customers and suppliers to invest in a bond, the company stating its intention to become an employee-owned business for “the long-term good of Vitsœ, its customers, suppliers, employees and wider society.”