International ice cream distributor to open central UK depot in Lincoln

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A deal has been completed which will bring international ice cream and confectionery distributor NIC’s central UK depot to St. Modwen Park Lincoln.

Occupying a 64,000 sq ft unit on a 10-year lease, the ice cream ingredient manufacturer and distributor will make St. Modwen Park Lincoln its central UK depot, creating 10 jobs in the area.

The deal follows the recent news that the international courier, parcel, and express mail division of German logistics company Deutsche Post DHL is occupying 32,000 sq ft of space at the site on a 15-year lease.

The deals with DHL and NIC mean that phase one of St. Modwen Park Lincoln is fully let, just a few months after its completion.

Rob Richardson, Senior Development Manager at St. Modwen, said: “We are very pleased to welcome such a well-respected organisation to St. Modwen Park Lincoln and we hope to have a long-term relationship with NIC as the company expands its presence in the UK market.

“Securing DHL and NIC so soon after completing the first phase justifies our decision to speculatively develop and we look forward to bringing forward further developments at this key strategic site in the near future.”

NIC, which is part of Norwegian food giant Orkla Foods, has significantly expanded in recent years with the acquisition of several UK based companies involved in manufacturing confectionery.

Steve Edwards, of NIC, said: “Our new unit provides us with an ideal base for our UK operations, with excellent access to the M1, as well as links to airport and seaports.

“We were looking for a building along the A1 corridor north of Cambridgeshire and St. Modwen Park Lincoln offered the perfect size and specification for our needs.

“As well as the obvious operational benefits of the location, St. Modwen was able to accommodate us swiftly, meaning we could move in, hit the ground running and provide fantastic service to our clients.”

Joint agents for the scheme, Simon Lloyd, Partner at Cushman and Wakefield, and William Wall, Director at Banks Long, added: “We’re extremely pleased that the first phase at St. Modwen Park Lincoln is fully let so soon after completion.

“Had this unit not have been on the market it is highly likely that NIC would not have made the move to Lincoln, so it’s credit to St. Modwen for being able to deliver such a high quality product, attracting further investment to the region.”

Earlier this year, St. Modwen secured detailed planning consent for a further 75,000 sq ft of space, forming the site’s next phase of development.

Alan Gray, Economic Development Manager at North Kesteven District Council, said: “Officers worked closely with St. Modwen on the deal and offered support to NIC to ensure the company felt at home in the district. We have every confidence that NIC will thrive here.

“Vital transport links to the A46 and the M1 mean St. Modwen Park Lincoln has always been a highly sought after development and we expect that St. Modwen will experience yet more success as development at the site continues.”

Leader of North Kesteven District Council, Cllr Richard Wright, said: “This news is really exciting as Lincolnshire is clearly on the radar of major companies. We welcome such a high profile name coming to the county and our district and are pleased to have been involved in the relocation plans.”

The 70-acre Business Park was originally granted planning consent for more than 960,000 sq ft of space, part of which had already been developed with occupiers including Apogee, Turbine Efficiency and DPDUK.