Cleveland Group has unveiled a new five-acre depot at the Port of Newport in what represents its biggest ever investment.
The group, which operates across the Ƶ, said it marks a major strategic step in supporting growing customer demand for container, hire and modular solutions.
Founded in 2011, Cleveland began as a small family-run shipping container business. Since evolving into Cleveland Group in 2022, it now operates across three divisions – Cleveland Containers, Cleveland Hire and Cleveland Modular – supplying everything from shipping containers and bespoke conversions to accommodation units and modular buildings.
Following a minority equity investment in 2022 from LDC to support its growth strategy the business has grown at 30% – year on year and has more than doubled its headcount from 45 to 100.
The Newport depot builds on its existing network, which includes Middlesbrough, Ashby de la Zouch in the Midlands and Cambuslang near Glasgow. The new facility will operate as a modular specialist refurbishment centre, housing a dedicated library of modular panels and offering increased capacity for storage, refurbishment and deployment. It will also stock shipping containers and site accommodation units to fully support all Cleveland Group divisions.
Richard Gray, chief commercial officer at Cleveland Group, said: “Newport stood out as the perfect strategic location. It positions us to better serve South Wales, the Midlands and even London, and it gives us the capability to support major infrastructure and renewables projects. Our expansion is set to continue – we’re already planning additional sites to support the next phase of Cleveland Group’s growth.”
With a major 120-bay modular project already secured for delivery in January, the new site will help meet the growing appetite for modular buildings across the Ƶ.
Laura Moore, group operations director at Cleveland Group: “The Newport depot gives us the operational capability we need to grow in one of the most important and high-demand regions in the country. While our third-party sites have supported us well, controlling our own facility in this region is essential for the next stage of our development. As we invest heavily in our divisions and bring substantial volumes of modular stock into the business, Newport provides the infrastructure, space and strategic location needed to scale effectively and deliver even better service to our customers.”
Cleveland Group has signed a 10-year lease for the Newport site with Associated British Ports, which owns and manage the land. The agreement was facilitated by property agents Jenkins Best, who acted as intermediaries in bringing the partnership between Cleveland and ABP together.
The new depot has already resulted in increased headcount for the company, including a senior depot manager, operations manager, and a team of operatives and technicians - with further recruitment planned. Cleveland expects the site to create opportunities across a broad talent pool, particularly for skilled fabricators.
Callum Rees, property asset manager at ABP said: “ABP is delighted to welcome Cleveland Group to the Port of Newport as a new customer and a new entrant to the South Wales market. We have invested to bring this site forward and support Cleveland’s long-term growth plans. Their arrival is a strong addition to an already excellent occupier base, and it’s been a pleasure to support their expansion into South Wales.
“This development reflects ABP’s commitment to growing the Port of Newport, supported by our recently announced £80m investment in the port. Newport’s strategic location enables businesses like Cleveland to serve South Wales, the Midlands and beyond, making it a key hub for regional and national supply chains.
“We look forward to continuing to work with Cleveland and to delivering more developments like this across our South Wales ports.”
