Pictured: (l-r) Staffordshire County Council's cabinet
member for economic growth and prosperity Ben Adams, APC operations
director Syed Ziaullah, APC managing director Ivor Skinner and
Gareth Williams, development director at Opus Land
A leading courier firm has joined Staffordshire's growing family
of nationally and internationally acclaimed businesses.
APC Overnight has announced it is to locate its new purpose
built 121,000 sq ft logistics centre at Kingswood Lakeside business
park in Cannock. The company has announced that 120 jobs will be
created and 300 existing jobs protected.
The site, developed by Staffordshire County Council in 2005, was
transformed from a former open cast mine into the home for a number
of high profile businesses today. Once planning permission for the
site has been approved, the company hopes it will be fully
operational by Christmas 2012.
APC is moving from its existing base in Essington, South
Staffordshire, because of its need to expand. The decision to
relocate within Staffordshire adds to the county's numerous
economic success stories - most notably Jaguar Land Rover and
Amazon choosing to invest here in recent months.
Staffordshire County Council's cabinet member for economic
growth and prosperity Ben Adams said:
"APC Overnight is a national leader in the courier industry and
another flagship firm to locate at Kingswood Lakeside.
"The news that APC is creating 120 jobs and protecting 300 is
fantastic for Staffordshire. We're proud to have initially
developed the site and rejuvenated a former colliery site into a
thriving centre for business.
"APC joins the growing family of businesses choosing to locate
in Staffordshire which really does demonstrate that our county is
an ideal place to invest.
"The economy and prosperity are our top priorities and we are
ensuring that we invest in supporting business and in the necessary
infrastructure to attract major national and international
companies."
Staffordshire County Council has been working with APC and site
developer Opus Land.
Ivor Skinner, APC Overnight managing director, said:
"The new hub is essential to APC's national operations and
future development; it is a major investment made possible through
the growth we are enjoying across the APC network. With the high
demand for our next day deliveries, we have outgrown our existing
hub in Essington. The new site at Kingswood Lake will provide us
with a well-designed, state-of-the-art and very efficient national
base. Also, by remaining in the Midlands, we can retain our highly
skilled workforce and the location is convenient for future
recruitment, as and when we need additional hub staff. We are also
equipping the new hub with advanced systems that will boost
productivity and efficiency."
Gareth Williams, Development Director at Opus Land said "We are
delighted to be working with another high quality business to help
them meet their occupational needs at Kingswood Lakeside. We have
worked closely with Staffordshire County Council as landowners and
with The Alternative Parcels Company to facilitate this development
and provide a further boost to the local economy."
For more information about Staffordshire County Council, please
visit their website here: www.staffordshire.gov.uk