Food sector specialist Chalcroft Construction has completed work on a new £4m cold and chill store facility that will help third-party logistics firm Grocontinental expand its services.

Shropshire-based Grocontinental has embarked on a controlled expansion programme, aimed at ensuring existing customer requirements are met, and has invested in a new truck fleet and new facilities.

And so when the company wanted to build a new chill and cold store at its base on the Whitchurch Business Park, Whitchurch, Shropshire, it turned to trusted supplier Chalcroft Construction, which it has been working with since 1994.

The 4,550 sq m, single-storey building consists of a cold store, at minus 25 degrees C, and a chill store (plus 8 degrees C).

The chill store, which utilises glycol cooling systems, accommodates nine mobile racking levels, while the cold store, with an ammonia refrigeration plant, is six racks high.

A key environmental aspect of the new warehouse is the use of movement sensors for lights, which operate at 100 per cent when in use and dim to 30 per cent when no movement is detected.

Linda Grocott, joint managing director of Grocontinental, commented: “We are a well-established family-owned business that has developed a reputation for providing first-class customer service.

“The investment in new facilities will further enhance our offering, and we are delighted that Chalcroft Construction has once again delivered us a warehousing solution that fully meets our needs.”

The work has been carried out within a strict timetable that means the new facility can be used to store additional seasonal stock.

John Reeve, from Chalcroft, commented: “Grocontinental is a great example of a confident company that is responding to its customer’s needs and investing in its future.

“Chalcroft has been associated with Grocontinental since 1994, constructing a series of warehousing and cold store facilities as the company has grown and made a name for itself in the food sector.”