Morrells opens new £300k branch in Hull's Global Business Park

A MANUFACTURER has made a strong commitment to Hull after choosing to open a branch in the city and create jobs.

Manufacturers of wood finishes Morrells, which has its head office in Manchester, is launching into Hull as a move to grow its business and tap into a bigger market.

"We are expecting a turnover of £1m in the first year in Hull and will employ four members of staff." Mr Drayton said the staff will be recruited locally.

He said: "People like to buy from companies in their own area and as we go into the smaller cities like Hull, we find they are quite strong communities, so if we want to be successful in Hull, we need to be working with local people – that's important."

Morrells, which employs 135 staff across the country, specialises in the manufacture and supply of branded paint to the trade market.

It works with a range of businesses, from kitchen and bedroom suppliers, to office refurbishments and shop fitting.

Mr Drayton said he believed the manufacturing industry in Hull was still "relatively strong" and hopes the move will help Morrells get a foot in the caravan industry.

He said: "We found it quite difficult to get business in this industry from out of the city but now we have set up here, we are hoping to get into the caravan manufacturers."

Morrells, which already has 24 branches, has a ten-year lease on its unit of about 3,000sq ft and has spent about £300,000 on the new branch.

Mr Drayton said: "We are a prominent, high-performance brand, so we wanted to pick a building that was new and this was perfect for us.

"There's not a lot of new stock in Hull and I think if any area wants to encourage businesses into the city, new, fresh units are a good thing to do that.

"A lot of the older units just aren't suitable."

Mr Drayton said the recession has not affected the business and the firm is looking forward to working in Hull.

He said: "We are really quite excited about our new site.
"A lot of people talk about the recession but there are positives and negatives and you have got to go where the manufacturing is and that is going on in places like Hull."

Last January Morrells received a Royal Warrant for wood finishes from Her Majesty the Queen as according to the company, the Queen has been a customer for "a long time".

The firm played a part in last year's Olympics working on the cycling Velodrome. It even worked on the interior and exterior of the Royal Barge.

The new site in Global Business Park was built by Betts Developments and is almost fully occupied with only a single unit still available.

The deal was overseen by commercial property agents Scotts Property LLP.

Matthew Tomlinson, of Scotts Property, said: "Morrells searched the Hull market for a suitable property to invest in and settled on Global Business Park.

"This calibre of occupier is testament to the success of the development."