Greiner Bio-One, a global manufacturer of clinical and life science products, is investing in a new multi-million pound UK facility near Stroud.

The 53,500 sq ft purpose-built unit is being brought forward by developer Robert Hitchins Ltd at its Stroudwater 13 Business Park at Stonehouse.

It will double Austria-based Greiner Bio-One's warehouse space and also gives it the opportunity to expand. Its current UK site has been close by at Stonehouse since 1996.

Managing director Shabir Ahmed said: "With Greiner Bio-One Ltd having been based in the local area since we established a UK subsidiary in 1989, we are delighted to be starting the new phase of our exciting journey with a purpose-built warehousing and office facility in Stonehouse.

"We had been looking for a suitable site for some time when Stroudwater 13 became available. We are mindful of where our staff are located - that was a key factor - so we wanted to stay in the area if we could.

"As a leading supplier of laboratory and clinical solutions, the new warehouse and office will allow us to distribute critical research and healthcare products across the UK with increased efficiency, whilst further enhancing our customer support and meeting the challenges of the future."

Michael Plimmer, senior development manager at Robert Hitchins, was pleased to be working with Greiner Bio-One to bring forward the new facility on the six-acre employment site, close to J13 of the M5 and just off the A419.

He said: "This is good news for the local area - it helps to keep a prestigious company and its staff in Stonehouse in modern, state-of-the-art facilities and provides them with the platform to significantly grow their business in the UK to complement their operations in Europe and the rest of the world.

"By bringing the Greiner Bio-One unit forward, we will also be able to unlock further much-needed employment development, the first phase of which will be a new 22,000 sq ft unit to be constructed at the same time as the Greiner Bio-One unit and available to let to local and national businesses in autumn 2023."

Contractors for the new facility are Barnwood Ltd. The agents for Robert Hitchins are Cushman and Wakefield and Alder King.

Adrian Rowley from Alder King said: "This has been an excellent example of occupier and developer working together to deliver purpose-built, new-build accommodation of a significant scale. Greiner Bio-One are an established Stonehouse employer and this new investment in the locality is clearly very important.

"The project will also deliver a separate, speculatively constructed 22,000 sq ft industrial warehouse building which will be available to let and is much-needed in a market starved of stock."

Robert Hitchins, based at Boddington in Gloucestershire, is one of the leading property developers and investors in the South West and South Wales. It provides the full development process from site acquisition and planning through to development and investment.