Universal ties up £4.5m deal for Manchester Ship Canal land

A showroom and workshop are in the pipeline as Universal Container Services seeks to expand in the booming sector after adding 3.8 acres to its Irlam holdings.

Acquiring the site from Promontoria UK Property Holding, the firm paid £3.5m in a land deal, with further costs taking the total towards £4.5m.

Gorvins provided legal advice for UCS, and Addleshaw Goddard the vendor.

This expansion creates a combined 7.28-acre integrated hub in Irlam — directly connecting to the firm’s existing port facility — and significantly boosts operational capacity at a time of rising demand for container-based solutions.

Managing director George Woolley said: “Acquiring this land is the final piece of the puzzle, cementing our family business’s 40+ year legacy in Irlam.

“Spanning over seven acres along the iconic Manchester Ship Canal with its own berth, it will position Universal as an industry powerhouse—creating jobs and developing innovative products for our modern world.”

Universal said that benefits will include dozens of local jobs and apprenticeships, the UK’s largest container showroom, to be built locally, a workshop and parts hub to support custom builds, and an expansion of the group’s self-storage arm, with the potential for up to 600 new units to be added across the enlarged site.

Founded in 1990, Universal describes itself as the UK’s leading family-owned container company.

Operating three strategic depots across the country, Universal designs, modifies, and supplies containers for a wide range of uses — from secure storage and logistics to modular cafés, offices, retail and event spaces, servicing a market that has mushroomed in recent years, with brands that evidence the sector’s growth including the likes of Boxpark and STACK.

The company handles all work in-house, from fabrication to installation, and owns 100% of the land it operates on.