National engineering services business TClarke has acquired the former Woodford Litho printing facility at Freebournes Road Industrial Estate in Witham, Essex, for an undisclosed price.
The 3.63-acre industrial site provides 91,733 sq ft of accommodation across two industrial buildings – Freebournes House and 20 Freebournes Road. The former printing facility was marketed at a guide price of £10m.
Simon Fox, whose family established Woodford Litho on the site, said: “I am absolutely delighted to have concluded the sale to TClarke. It was always my ambition to find a buyer who would return these premises to their original purpose as a centre of manufacturing, assembly and employment. Once TClarke complete their plans for the site, there may well be more people employed here than during Woodford Litho’s heyday. That would be a particularly satisfying outcome for me and a tremendous benefit to Witham.
“Having spent my entire working life associated with these buildings, it gives me enormous satisfaction to see them returning to productive industrial use as I bow out. Their more recent occupation for storage and distribution was always intended to be a temporary chapter in the site’s history, rather than its long-term future.”
James Wright, from Fenn Wright – a member of The Commercial Property Network – which advised Simon Fox on the sale, added: “This was a rare opportunity to acquire a substantial industrial facility with exceptional infrastructure in a highly accessible Essex location. Demand for quality industrial assets remains strong and the sale to an owner occupier underlines the enduring appeal of strategically located manufacturing and employment sites.”
