Solihull business Reeley Ltd expands from 4ft bedroom to 42,000 sq ft industrial unit at Connexion II

Published by

Peter Davison

Lift specialist Reeley Ltd is the latest letting at Blythe Valley Park’s Connexion II industrial scheme, taking 42,000 sq ft.

The family-owned company – one of the UK’s leading specialists in lifts, escalator and stairlift components – will be taking the unit on a 10-year lease.

Founded in 1989 by Harold Reeley and now owned and managed by his daughter, Angie, the business has grown into a multimillion-pound operation, with a turnover of £3.5 million.

Reeley is taking one of three units ranging from 25,000 to 50,000 sq ft at the Connexion II industrial campus located off junction 4 of the M42.

Angie said: "I took over the business in 1999 after my dad died from a sudden illness. Mum was dependent on the business for income and I had to step up fast and hit the floor running.

“Working alongside my husband, Gary, we operated from our spare bedroom and soon our can-do attitude, technical knowledge and fast response built us a strong reputation in the industry.

“Here we are now taking space to future proof the business for another 20 years to accommodate growth for the next generation, which includes my daughter and her husband.

“The unit is a big move up, but we’ve been looking for a while and we know opportunities like this don’t come along very often. Connexion II is the full package – the building, the location and the setting.”

Reeley is looking to relocate in February 2023 with the first unit at Connexion ready for occupation in December of this year.

Deborah Fennel, manager at Blythe Valley Park, said they welcomed being able to provide room for expansion for a local company.

“Reeley is going to fit right in at Blythe Valley Park. They share many of the values of our forward-thinking office occupiers who want a first-class working environment with wellbeing as its focus.

“Positioned right at the front of the business park, Connexion II offers convenient access for their trade customers and I think their team will enjoy many of our community events too.

“It’s good to hear that they’re looking to be here for the long term and we’re looking forward to playing a big part in their future.”

Blythe Valley Park is owned by Frasers Property combining industrial and offices with occupiers including Lounge Underwear, Siemens, Oracle, GKN Aerospace, Wavenet and ZF Group. CBRE and Savills are agents on Connexion II.

Pictured: Angie & Gary Smith from Reeley with Blythe Valley Park Manager, Deborah Fennel

Peter Davison

Peter Davison is deputy editor of The Business Magazine. He has spent his life in journalism – doing work experience in newsrooms in and around Bristol while still at school, and landing his first job on a local newspaper aged 19. By 28 he was the youngest newspaper editor in the country. An early advocate of online news, he spent the first years of the 2000s telling his bosses that the internet posed both the biggest opportunity and greatest threat to the newspaper industry and the art of journalism. He was right on both counts. Since 2006 he has enjoyed a career as a freelance journalist. He lives in rural Wiltshire with one wife, two children, and three cats.