Hughes Electrical has completed an 18-month, £750,000 refurbishment of its premises in Ipswich to create a state-of-the-art, 33,000sq ft facility on Felixstowe Road.
Around 150 staff now work there across a number of departments; web management & call centre, trade, retail shop, depot, which includes service & delivery, plus a newly created rental call centre. There are also extensive training and meeting facilities.
On the roof are 774 solar panels with an output of up to 301kw and designed to play a key role in Hughes Electrical’s commitment to net zero customer deliveries.
Hughes has owned the site since 1998 and took the decision to make the investment for several reasons.
Chairman Robert Hughes said: “It is the perfect location to develop a business hub, for now and the future, serving a vital geographical area for our business.
“It underlines our long-term commitment to Ipswich as we want to be an integral part of its development and growth. We see it as both a cultural and operational centre for Hughes. It is also the ideal location for our newly created rental call centre, underlining the importance of the rapidly growing rental side of our business.”
As part of its goal of net zero customer deliveries, the Ipswich facility will soon become the base to trial electric vans, and will also see the installation of large batteries to store electricity generated from the solar panels – Hughes already has a 100% electric car fleet.
Mr Hughes added: “What we are doing at Ipswich underlines that we are aware to continue to succeed we must constantly invest in the business to enable us to provide ever better levels of customer service, while being mindful of our environmental obligations.”
