Just as the Summer season ends, building work will begin on new storage infrastructure at Gloucestershire’s Highfield Garden World.  The project promises to transform the way the family business can store and control stock.  Once the c.£300k build is complete, the £9m turnover independent will have quadrupled the amount of covered storage space it has on-site to 740m², with another 100m² of open-sided covered space adjacent. 

Highfield Director Tim Armstrong commented;  “Since COVID, we’ve found many of the companies supplying us work on different principles and availability of stock is simply less predictable.  With the new warehouse up and running we’ll be better able to ride out the peaks and troughs of stock availability, as well as take advantage of good Choice Marketing deals when they pop up – even for bulky items such as furniture.  We’ll also be able to pass those savings on to our customers.”

Tim continued;  “Staff will have lots of space to process stock behind the scenes rather than on the shop floor which we currently need to do – minimising disruption to the customers’ experience.   Overall, having a more efficient way of processing our stock will leave staff with more time to spend out and about talking to and helping customers.  Many of our staff and our customers have been with us for a long time and have got to know each other.  Having friendly, knowledgeable staff talking to customers is an important part of what makes Highfield so special.”

Planning permission for the new warehousing structure was granted this Spring.  Work is due to start in September and complete in early 2025.  Highfield will project manage the new development themselves, using local companies that they have worked well with before.