Medequip, the leading provider of community equipment services to councils and NHS Trusts across the country, is the latest business to choose the Horizon 120 business, innovation and logistics park as the location for its new depot providing the Integrated Community Equipment Loan Service (ICELS) for Essex County Council and its partners.
The Horizon 120 business park, located just off the A131 in Great Notley, provides in excess of 750,000 sq ft of hi-tech, industrial, office and logistics space, set in extensively landscaped grounds overlooking the countryside. It benefits from a central location and excellent access to transport links in the region.
Medequip has signed a contract to lease Unit 2 Hyperion, extending to 31,114 sq ft, part of the three unit 160,000 sq ft / 8-acre speculative development built by developer The Marshgate Group and forward purchased by CBRE Investment Management.
Medequip supplies community equipment and services to the health and social care sectors across the UK, operating from more than 30 depots nationwide.
The new location will be used to store and distribute a range of equipment such as wheelchairs, adjustable beds and hoists, all serving the local ICELS contract. ICELS provides equipment designed to help individuals who have disabilities, long-term illnesses or who are recovering from surgery or accidents, to live more independently and improve their quality of life.
The new premises will also house a customer service centre and a workshop where equipment is cleaned and refurbished before being put back into service, reflecting Medequip’s commitment to recycling and reuse to optimise public funds.
Eighty-eight people will work at the new site when it becomes fully operational on 1 July this year.
The new distribution facility is part of a 65-acre business park which offers best in class distribution and manufacturing spaces as well as high quality office facilities. Other businesses signed-up to Horizon 120 include British Offsite, CareCo and Essex X-Ray. The business park is also home to an enterprise and innovation centre which supports start-ups and small businesses.
Braintree District Council purchased the Horizon 120 site four and a half years ago with the aim of creating an employment site fit for the future which attracts new businesses into the district and creates quality jobs. The Council’s investment in the infrastructure and land and its partnership with commercial developer The Marshgate Group has unlocked the business park to businesses, opening up the potential for an additional 2,000 jobs in the area.
Commenting for Medequip, Marketing Manager Matt Ward said: “This is a prime location with excellent access and modern facilities, enabling us to provide first-class community equipment services for the people of Essex.”
Cllr Kevin Bowers, Cabinet Member for Resources and Performance at Braintree District Council, said: “We’re pleased that our work with partners and the offer at Horizon 120 is supporting growing businesses such as Medequip with prime facilities to match their medium to long term expansion plans. This represents a significant investment from the UK’s leading provider of community equipment which will bring jobs to the local area for many years to come.”
Knight Frank and Coke Gearing acted for CBRE Investment Management (Landlord). Property consultancy MK2 Real Estate provided lease consultancy advice to Medequip.
Businesses interested in being part of Horizon 120 should visit www.horizon120.com
