One of Yorkshire’s fastest-growing businesses, which has expanded from a £150,000 turnover three years ago to a projected £10m this year, is the latest company to re-locate to Thorp Arch Estate.

Online beer retailer, BeerHawk.co.uk, which delivers its own selection of the world’s finest beers to homes throughout the UK, is taking 12,216 sq ft in Unit 16 of a new 37,276 sq ft speculative scheme at Ash Way to relocate its warehouse operation from Saltergate Business Park, Harrogate, on a 15-year lease.

BeerHawk.co.uk was established in 2012 by beer lovers, Chris France and Mark Roberts, who are both founders and directors. The company, which has grown from two to 20 staff, sources 500 of its selection of the world’s best beers from 25 different countries, including those from several micro craft breweries in Yorkshire, and provides next-day delivery to homes throughout the UK.

The BeerHawk.co.uk deal means that two thirds of the 37,276 sq ft scheme at Ash Way is now pre-let, with biotechnology company Avacta Group Plc, which relocated to Thorp Arch Estate six years ago, taking 12,800 sq ft for new office and laboratory space.

BeerHawk.co.uk, which started with a conversation in a pub about the difficulty of getting quality beer to drink at home, has become the UK’s largest online beer company. The company also runs a beer club and provides a gift service. The company started in a 300 sq ft unit at Hammerain House, Harrogate, and the Thorp Arch Estate move is its fourth expansion and relocation in four years.

Chris France says: “Thorp Arch Estate will be an ideal base for us because of the quality of the new premises, which is being especially reconfigured for us to  include a beer tasting bar; the capacity to expand to meet our growth plans and the estate’s proximity to the motorway network for our next-day delivery service.

“We plan to invest millions of pounds into the company in the next few years, creating 30 new jobs and expanding our selection of the world’s best beers to more than 800.”

BeerHawk.co.uk’s relocation follows the letting of a new purpose-built 62,925 unit to drinks distributor, Matthew Clark Wholesale Ltd, which is re-locating from Dunnington, near York and is due to move in this summer.

Director of Wharfedale Property Management Ltd, which manages the estate for owner, Rockspring Hanover Property Unit Trust, Tim Munns, says: “Attracting BeerHawk.co.uk is another significant coup for us and vindicates the decision to invest in further speculative units.

“The success of this scheme and continuing demand has enabled us to submit a further planning application to Leeds City Council for an additional 48,000 sq ft of space in four units of 6,000 sq ft and two of 12,000 sq ft.” 

He said there is strong interest in the remaining four units in Ash Way. They comprise 3,065 sq ft each with 7m eaves, offices, a WC and beverage area, LED lighting to both the offices and warehouses; loading and parking areas as well as benefiting from the estate’s superfast broadband, onsite management and security.

The two-million sq ft Thorp Arch Estate is base for a diverse range of more than 150 businesses, from start-ups to large Plcs, operating in local, national and international markets and employing more than 1,800 people. Thorp Arch Retail Park, which forms part of the estate, was the first out-of-town shopping centre in the country when it opened in 1959 and is complemented by a variety of leisure facilities.