Member Article

Penistone firm diversify revenue by opening warehouse space

A disused warehouse in Penistone has been converted into five industrial units following a £175,000 grant from a developer and help from Enterprising Barnsley.

Penistone Paper and Board have immediately filled the units, leaving a waiting list for more.

The section 106 money was aimed at creating business starter units and employment opportunities in the area, and the new tenants include a bicycle frame manufacturer, a tree surgeon, a steel stockholder and a craft paper company.

A brewery, car dismantler and clothing company are now waiting to move into the building with 1,000 sq ft units.

Paul Fearn, co-director Penistone Paper and Board, said: “We were thinking about what to do with the building that we only use to store giant rolls of paper, when advisers from Enterprising Barnsley told us about the Section 106 money and then helped us get it. Without their help and the funding we couldn’t have done this.

“We got an amazing response as soon as we told people the space was becoming available and hardly needed to do any marketing.

“There has been no growth in the market because of the recession, so diversifying into renting out space is a very useful source of income for us. And because of the demand and the waiting list we are now looking at building purpose-built units on another part of our site.”

Penistone Paper and Board take unwanted or damaged cardboard and industrial-sized rolls of paper and turn them into useable board and sheets of paper for everything from fast-food containers and toothpaste tubes to writing paper for schools.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .