SEGRO has agreed a second lease for one of Europe’s largest investors in renewable power, Octopus Energy, to expand its presence at the Slough Trading Estate to almost 50,000 sq ft.  

Octopus Energy has signed a ten-year lease for an 18,500 sq ft unit at 201 Bedford Avenue, located within proximity to its existing 24,000 sq ft facility at nearby 212 Bedford Avenue.

The new hub will employ 40 people. It will be used for the storage and distribution of energy-related products, such as heat pumps and photovoltaic solar panels, as well as providing office space. The modern fit-out includes a slide to connect the first and ground floor offices – a first in the 100-year history of the Slough Trading Estate.

The new unit complements Octopus Energy’s £10m flagship training and R&D centre on the Slough Trading Estate, which contains two replicas of full-size houses and aims to train around 1,000 plumbing and heating engineers to install air-source heat pumps, to help decarbonise Britain’s homes.

The deal reflects the alignment between Octopus Energy’s sustainability ambitions and values and the Responsible SEGRO commitments to champion low carbon growth and to be net-zero carbon by 2030.

James Craddock, Managing Director, Thames Valley at SEGRO, said: “Our customers are increasingly seeking modern, high quality, sustainable warehouses and as such, SEGRO’s commitment to champion low-carbon growth – one of three key commitments from our ‘Responsible SEGRO’ framework – played a significant role in securing this letting.

“Octopus Energy has impressive plans to revolutionise the heat pump sector from its new base on Slough Trading Estate. Not only does it have good proximity to consumers in and around London, it also has access to a large pool of people to deliver these ambitions and benefit from the high skilled, high paid jobs. 

Octopus Energy forms part of a diverse community of over 350 businesses at Slough Trading Estate, set over more than 470 acres. It is the largest industrial estate in single ownership in Europe with vacancy at less than 3%.