Skirting board specialists Metres Direct are doubling the size of their operation after commercial property agency John Truslove helped them secure new premises on Redditch’s Lakeside Industrial Estate.
Metres Direct owner Joe Phillips worked with Ben Truslove at commercial property agents John Truslove, to secure a five-year lease on 13,000 sq ft of recently refurbished warehouse and office space at Unit 6 on the estate.
Joe said: “We’ve been looking for the bigger new premises for quite a time, but finding the right place isn’t so easy.
“We’ve been working with Ben at John Truslove and he’s been great. There were a couple of premises that were not quite right but then we came across the Lakeside estate. Ben has helped make it a really smooth process securing the tenancy. We’re now in, getting the place set up and hoping to be up and running here by May.”
Joe set up Metres Direct in 2010 selling internal mouldings such as skirting boards and architraves from a small home office, using middlemen for the manufacturing.
He said: “I wasn’t happy with the consistency of the quality and service, so I decided to start manufacturing myself.
“We are currently based in Studley but the demand from customers means we desperately needed to move to bigger premises so we could expand production.
“Around 80% of our trade is people carrying out home improvements, so providing high quality products has been key to building our reputation.
“The new unit is ideal for our needs and hopefully we’ll be able to take on more staff as we grow.”
The unit provides 10,000 sq ft of warehousing and manufacturing space and a further 3,000 sq ft of office space over two floors.
Currently, the firm employs around ten people, operating as an online supplier to both retail customers and the building trade.
Ben Truslove, joint managing director at John Truslove, said: “It has taken time to find just the right premises for Joe and Metres Direct, but we’ve been able to use our unrivalled portfolio of properties and landlords in the area and our knowledge of the market to find them the ideal new home.
“We look forward to seeing Metres Direct continue to grow at their new base on Lakeside Industrial Estate, which is fast becoming a hub for ambitious and expanding businesses. The site’s location, with access to the M42 and the wider Midlands motorway network, makes it ideal for companies with goods to transport far and wide.”