PLANNING approval has been granted to build a 33,500 sq ft unit at Hawarden Business Park, to house commercial refrigeration supplier Staycold.

Staycold currently works from offices in central Chester and outsources its warehousing to various locations but the new build, will see the global exporter bringing these functions in house. Staycold is a South African business that opened the Chester office in 1998 as an export centre.

Funded through a Property for Business Development grant from the Welsh Government, the approved unit will comprise around 27,000 sq ft of warehouse space and 6,000 sq ft of office space, in addition to car parking and a yard. The project will be built vy Cheshire-based construction and property development group Pochin’s Limited.

Ed Jonas, managing director at Staycold, said: “The time is right to match Staycold’s growth and success with a facility that can deliver all of our requirements under one roof.

“Harwarden Business Park provides the ideal location to support our future growth plans; it is extremely well connected, with access to a skilled talent pool, and is somewhere we’ll be very proud to welcome visitors.

“Pochin’s has been instrumental in getting the project to this stage and, given its substantial track record in the industrial sector, is the right partner to take our plans forward.”

ALS Architects, SGI Consulting and RPS Group are on the professional team with Legat Owen and JLL working as retained agents for Hawarden Business Park.

Work is expected to begin in January, with completion due in August 2019.