10/12/08 AB World Foods - Move to Kings Hill

An international food company which manufactures, imports and distributes some of the best known retail brands, has moved its UK southern hub to Kings Hill, Kent.

AB World Foods - part of Associated British Foods, one of Europe’s largest food companies with global sales of £8.2 billion and 96,000 employees in 44 countries - has taken 13,772 sq ft in 42 Kings Hill Avenue.

The company, formed following the merger of G. Costa and Patak’s, manufactures ethnic products including Blue Dragon, Pataks and Reggae Reggae and distributes well known brands such as Tabasco and Maille. The company currently employs over 500 staff, some of whom have moved to Kings Hill from its offices in Aylesford.

“We wanted to relocate to a site where we could improve our working conditions and retain as many of our current staff as possible and as Kings Hill is only five miles away from our old offices, this was ideal,” said Managing Director Andy Mayhew.

“This was also one of the better buildings we viewed, with easy access from the motorway and from the station for visitors and plenty of parking for staff. The environment is perfect for us, with plenty of green open spaces and shops and restaurants on the doorstep in Liberty Square as well as a health club.”

Kings Hill is celebrating one of its best years ever, having completed property deals on 156,000 sq ft of office space in the first six months of 2008, and, said Andrew Blevins, managing director of Kings Hill developer Liberty Property Trust UK Ltd : “We are delighted that such an exciting and innovative company has moved to Kings Hill.

“We have had a very good year here, despite the economic climate, and are now planning our next phase of new office buildings.”

Kings Hill is a thriving community with around 4,000 people living in the residential village and 15% of all households have at least one person employed by a business on site. Around 100 companies are based at Kings Hill, ranging from international and national corporates to SMEs.

There is a good range of shops, restaurants, a pub and coffee shop in Liberty Square, together with the usual 'High Street' amenities, such as a dry cleaners, post ‘n packing warehouse, florist, hairdressers, chemist, luxury clothes and gift shop, card shop, opticians, dentist, vet, estate agents and recruitment agency which serve both the business and residential communities at Kings Hill.

A 90,000 sq ft David Lloyd Leisure racquets, health and fitness club opened in 2006 and there is also an 18-hole PGA golf course, a day nursery and University of Greenwich conference centre.

For more information on Kings Hill visit www.kings-hill.com. Knight Frank, CB Richard Ellis and Altus Edwin-Hill are the agents for Kings Hill.

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