Unilever’s Warrington factory up for sale

Real estate agent CBRE has been appointed to sell the freehold of the consumer goods giant’s seven-acre site, after it confirmed the closure of the factory last year.

The site on Liverpool Road in Warrington closed its doors in October last year after 135 years, 10 months after Unilever reported that the factory was running at less than half its capacity. Some employees remained on site until January this year, when the site finally closed.

At the time of closure, 116 people were employed at the factory, which made Unilever’s Persil and Surf washing powders. Unilever has since moved most of its manufacturing operations to a partner in Europe, after citing a “sustained and irreversible decline” in demand for washing powder.

The Warrington factory site is adjacent to Warrington Bank Quay Train Station, and comes with an additional 0.23-acre car park to the south west of the main site across the River Mersey. Bidders have been advised to undertake their own planning enquiries for the site’s redevelopment potential.

CBRE said it is currently taking offers on the site – which Unilever shares with materials provider PQ Corporation – until next week, and that bidders are currently working on proposals for the site.

Unilever’s Port Sunlight research facility in Wirral, part of its research and development headquarters, also went up for sale, last September but a deal has yet to be reached.