Harrison Drury advises UAE firm on £6.5m Wrexham warehouse deal

Harrison Drury has advised a UAE-based packaging company on a multi-million-pound property purchase as part of its plans to create up to 250 jobs in the UK.

Hotpack Packaging Industries, a Dubai-headquartered producer and wholesaler of disposable food packaging materials, announced earlier this year its intention to invest £50million to establish a UK manufacturing facility.

Owen McKenna, director and commercial property lawyer at Harrison Drury, has advised Hotpack’s new UK business, H-Pack Packaging UK Ltd, on its £6.53m purchase of 16 acres of land and a 189,000 sq ft warehouse located in Davy Way, Llay, Wrexham.

The facility will act as the business’ European head office and manufacturing plant. The company is currently recruiting and aims to create between 200 and 250 jobs for the region.

Dr Mike Cheetham, director for H-Pack Packaging UK Ltd, said: “As part our global expansion plans, we’re delighted to be investing in the UK. Wrexham and the immediate area is rapidly emerging as a ‘centre of excellence’ in advanced food technology. Our facility will be equipped with the latest in packaging and manufacturing technologies.”

Harrison Drury’s commercial property team acted on behalf of the company in its negotiations with the Welsh Government, the Development Bank of Wales and other funders.

Owen McKenna, director of Harrison Drury, said: “It’s great to see companies like H-Pack creating jobs in the region in what is a real boost for the local economy. After being approached by the company earlier this year, we helped it agree heads of terms for the deal with the seller and guided them through the transaction process. Now the purchase is complete, the company can press on with its ambitious expansion plans.”

Dr Mike Cheetham added: “The purchase of this site has been a long and complex process taking over ten months of detailed negotiations to complete. Owen McKenna and the entire team at Harrison Drury have more than proved their capacity to represent large international businesses like Hotpack UAE.”

Hotpack Packaging Industries is one of the largest packaging manufacturers in the Middle East. As well as its headquarters and manufacturing plants in Dubai, Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain and Abu Dhabi, the business also has operations in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and India.

Its global clients include airlines like Emirates, hotel chains such as Marriott Hotels and Holiday Inn, and food and drink companies like Starbucks and Burger King.