Winchester: Czech manufacturing boost

Manufacturing in Winchester will be getting a boost with the arrival of Czech company Dart Praha, which has taken a 41,000 sq ft industrial unit through joint sole agents King Sturge and Hughes Ellard on behalf of a major pension fund.

Dart Praha will be producing “off-site” manufactured cladding and roofing elements in Unit 30 Moorside Road for another overseas firm, Ruukki Construction from Finland. Large wall elements which will be delivered to site complete with windows and rain screen cladding will be used by Ruukki on major commercial and hospital projects throughout the UK. Dart will also be producing complete roofing elements capable of spanning up to 12 metres for Ruukki’s airport projects.

Matt Poplett of King Sturge, who handled the deal on behalf of pension fund Legal and General Assurance (Society) – Linked Life, said: “This represents one of the largest leasehold industrial and warehouse transactions in the city since Pilot Clothing let the Chilcomb Centre through King Sturge nearly 10 years ago. The premises were ideal for Dart Praha Ltd as they required a large yard for HGV access as well as cranes in the warehouse and manufacturing areas to move around raw materials and finished products.”

Rene Havelka, MD of Dart Praha, said: “We were pleased to work with King Sturge and Matthew Poplett.”