Area Focus: Coventry - WAGO to locate its new UK headquarters to Houlton, Rugby

WAGO, the German-based electrical components manufacturer, is to locate its prestigious new UK and Ireland headquarters to Houlton - with the move set to be an integral part of its new five-year business growth plan.

The move to Houlton - a 1,200-acre development on the eastern edge of Rugby led by master developer Urban&Civic - will see WAGO relocate from Triton Park, Rugby, where it has been based since 1980, to a new all-purpose, 4.5-acre site.

The new WAGO UK headquarters will be part office, part warehouse and part production area for the company’s products, with WAGO’s current 100-strong UK staff team – part of a worldwide 8,600 workforce – based at the new building.

Moving to the new site – set to be completed in 2024 - will provide the catalyst for WAGO to further build upon its business success, with the electrical components manufacturer doubling its worldwide sales within the past 10 years to a current turnover of £28 million.

WAGO joins other commercial enterprises based at Houlton, which include David Lloyd Rugby, The Paddle restaurant, The Tuning Fork restaurant, The Co-operative Food, The Old Station Nursery, and The Exchange, a co-working hub that includes bookable meeting spaces and full conference facilities. The businesses based at Houlton are also further supplemented by St Gabriel’s CofE Primary School, Houlton Secondary School, and The Barn community space.

Mike van den Berg, Project Director at Urban&Civic, said: “WAGO approached Urban&Civic after identifying Houlton as their preferred location for their new headquarters, with the move forming a key part of their strategic business plan for the next five years of operations.

“Houlton always seeks to support growing local businesses such as WAGO, who contribute to job creation and economic growth, and so we are delighted to support their relocation to Houlton. Furthermore, the geographic pull of WAGO in terms of employees and visitors will also help raise awareness of Houlton to a wider catchment in terms of house buyers.”

Cara Watts, WAGO's Commercial Manager, said: “With Rugby home to our UK office since 1980, we were keen to retain our local links and Houlton provides both the opportunity to do that and meet our requirements for a larger, multi-purpose site that will serve as our UK headquarters.

“As part of WAGO’s commitment to sustainability and environmentally responsible business operations, our new headquarters will also be built to BREEAM ‘excellent’ standard.

“Houlton is an ideal location, and we firmly believe it will help lay the foundations for the implementation of a strategic growth plan that will enable WAGO to deliver on our expansive business ambitions.”

The Houlton development is a joint venture between developers Urban&Civic and Aviva Investors and sits on the former Rugby Radio Station site on the eastern edge of Rugby.

Once complete, Houlton will feature 6,200 new homes and will offer residents a host of first-class facilities, including three primary schools, a secondary school, a nursery, a GP health centre and shops.

As part of Houlton’s master plan, Urban&Civic continues to work closely with local parish councils, community groups and its wider network of partners to create a new neighbourhood in Rugby. A 1.5mile link road, Houlton Way, which connects the site to Rugby town centre opened in November 2019.