Work is underway on the construction of a huge new Pets at Home warehouse which is being built in Staffordshire.
Commercial property developer Stoford has broken ground on the new national storage and distribution centre at Stafford North Business Park.
Last year, the pet care business announced that it signed a 20-year lease on the 670,000 sq ft facility which is expected to employ more than 750 people when it opens next summer.
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Now Tesco Pension Fund has agreed to forward fund the new development which will include two double-storey hub offices of 5,600 sq ft, a recycling store, tote store and a detached gatehouse.
Stoford’s joint managing director, Dan Gallagher, said: "We have worked closely with Pets at Home and Tesco Pension Fund to develop this exciting new scheme that will sustain local jobs in Staffordshire.
"We will deliver a modern national storage and distribution centre, with a first-class design that has sustainability at its core. We are also making a significant investment in the infrastructure at Stafford North Business Park to allow us to develop the facility into one of the region's leading employment sites."
Pets at Home chief executive, Peter Pritchard, said: "This marks a major milestone in the next step on our journey and a significant investment that will help enable our colleagues to better serve our customers right across the country.
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"For us, pets always come first and I am really proud that this project not only sees the development of a state-of-the-art national distribution centre that will allow us to create efficiencies throughout our supply chain, but it also brings with it brand new nature walks and safe dog walking areas for colleagues and local residents to enjoy."
The national storage and distribution centre is part of the first phase of development on a 70-acre site at Stafford North Business Park.
The site will benefit from an additional £9 million investment in the road and utilities infrastructure, including a new roundabout on the A34 at Redhill, north of Stafford, that will open up further phases of development.
Luke Baker, senior fund manager at Tesco Pension Fund, said: "We are excited to partner with Stoford and Pets at Home to deliver this highly specified and sustainable national distribution facility.
"The opportunity creates a long-term real estate investment that is central to a key partner’s business and is aligned with our objectives of ensuring investment activity benefits local communities, our pension holders and delivers leading environmental performance."