BLK BOX announces £1m expansion to Monkstown

The company, which in November 2020 announced 16 new jobs and a £2million investment in laser cutting equipment and a state-of-the-art paint line, is now set to invest over £1m to expand to the new premises in Monkstown.

Founded eight years ago by Belfast entrepreneur Greg Bradley, BLK BOX is currently headquartered in Titanic Quarter, where it employs over 70 people. As part of significant growth plans, the company will move to its new facility at Monkstown Industrial Estate over the next few months.

BLK BOX manufacturers for a range of customers and specialises in the design and fit-out of world class training facilities. Its customers include consumers around the world as well as major brands and sports teams such as Adidas, PureGym, Irish Rugby, Arsenal FC and Kerry GAA.

The 140,000 sq ft plant in Newtownabbey has previously been home to manufacturing businesses and will provide a larger base for the fast-growing company to expand its capacity and workforce.

In the past year, BLK BOX has experienced ongoing high demand from elite performance athletes and teams, as well as a significant increase in ecommerce sales for the home gym market.

Gregory Bradley, founder and CEO of BLK BOX, says: “Titanic Quarter has been a fantastic base for BLK BOX and it will always be part of our DNA. But in order to continue to grow, we need more space and that capacity simply isn’t available in Titanic Quarter.

“Our new base in Monkstown will provide us with the space we need to grow now and into the future. It will also enable us to create the kind of distribution centre we need to fill our growing consumer sales in the UK, Europe and further afield.

“It will also help BLK BOX continue to be a great place to work as we invest in creating a facility that our team can be proud of and where they can continue to deliver world class work.”

Commercial real estate agency CBRE NI acted on behalf of the firm in negotiating the deal on the new lease.

Lisa McAteer, director at CBRE NI, commented: “We are thrilled to have helped facilitate this extremely exciting phase of expansion for BLK BOX, as the business up-scales to a new facility in Newtownabbey.

“There has been increased competition for industrial and logistics units in Northern Ireland over the last year due to Covid-19 and the surge in online retailing, which has led to a demand for manufacturing, storage and distribution space. With that in mind, securing a new lease will support BLK BOX in its ambitious plans for continued business growth and investment.”

Click here to read: ‘Significant jobs boost’ with proposed BLK BOX Fitness HQ in Newtownabbey

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