Fleetwood firm which makes Disney, Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol toys creates 186 new jobs with £30m Fylde HQ
The latest multi-million-pound phase of the ambitious Mill Farm masterplan at Wesham is nearing completion.
Toy manufacturer HTI Group is creating its new £30m headquarters and manufacturing and logistics facility on the site as part of its major expansion plans.
HTI Group, currently based in Fleetwood and which produces toys for the likes of Disney, JCB, Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol, is creating 186 full-time equivalent jobs, as well as hundreds of direct construction roles, with the development, which is expected to add around £14m to the region’s economy annually once completed.
It is the latest addition to the 31-acre mixed-use development, which has grown to be an important contributor the local economy since the plan was first unveiled by chairman of the Tangerine Group and AFC Fylde, David Haythornthwaite, 15 years ago.
Since that time Mill Farm has created more than 200 full time jobs on site, delivering a major boost to the economy of the Fylde.
The latest facility for HTI includes offices and a showroom, bringing its manufacturing, warehousing and headquarters functions together.
Mill Farm Sports Village is home to non-league football club AFC Fylde, whose 6,000-capacity stadium was the first piece in the Mill Farm jigsaw and was delivered by the specialist sports multi-disciplinary team at architecture design and masterplanning practice FWP.
The Lancashire-headquartered company has been involved in Mill Farm from day one, working with the AFC Fylde owner Mr Haythornthwaite, both to shape the plans for the mixed-use development and to create a special home for the football team and its supporters.
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FWP was also involved in this latest phase of the development, acting as architects, project managers and quantity surveyors on the HTI Group project up to the planning consent stage.
The Mill Farm site, just off junction three of the M55, has an Aldi supermarket, along with a 24-hour EG on the Move petrol station and is also home the Fylde Sports and Education Centre, with seven-a-side and two full size 3G pitches, used by the local community seven days a week.
Animal health and equestrian products wholesaler Trilanco, which relocated from Poulton, operates from a purpose-built facility on the site.
David Robinson, FWP’s managing director, said: “We’re very proud of the part we’ve played in the Mill Farm Sports Village journey over the past 15 years. It has had a huge economic impact on the area and continues to deliver jobs.
“From the original concept to the vibrant mixed-used development you see today, we’ve worked with David and his team to create a real destination venue for sport, leisure and entertainment as well as high-quality logistics and manufacturing operations.
“The HTI Group’s impressive new facility is the latest piece in the Mill Farm jigsaw, bringing one of the UK's largest independently owned designers and manufacturers of children's toys to the area. It is a major coup for Mill Farm and its team.”
David Haythornthwaite said: “HTI’s arrival is another milestone for Mill Farm and a great feather in the cap for the people of the Fylde coast. To get a business of this stature to relocate to the area, and anything that helps to improve it can only be beneficial.”