A WELL-known, family-owned business has completed its move from St Helens to Warrington.

Logistics company John K Philips Group was previously based close to St Helens RLFC’s Totally Wicked Stadium, before moving operations to a new base on Europa Boulevard in Gemini.

The business says it is ‘primed for growth’, but with a focus on sustainability through its carbon-neutral headquarters as it celebrates 50 years in trade.

The new, 135,000square-foot warehouse and office building is fully covered by solar panels, utilises heat pumps and boasts new electric forklift trucks.

Previously a BT call centre, the building has been transformed into a modern warehouse which was named building of the year at the National Sustainability Awards in 2023.

John Philips founded his business in 1974 after buying a truck to deliver paint, and today, the group employs 80 staff and has a fleet of 35 trucks and 32 trailers.

It remains family-owned, although the day-to-day running of the business is led by managing director Alan Simpson, who joined in 2019, with John’s daughter Karrie Hughes being the commercial director.

The business specialises in the storage and UK distribution of goods such as paint and specialist liquids for sectors including pharmaceuticals and healthcare.

John Philips said: “We have made a significant investment in our new headquarters and warehouse to give us additional storage capacity, in line with our plans for future growth.

“We have been growing steadily year-on-year by 15 per cent, and our aim is to continue to expand at this rate.

“Our new location is close to the motorway network and is an ideal location from which to grow our customer base.

“Solar 120, our new HQ, is carbon neutral, with the electricity generated from solar panels powering our warehouse, offices and new forklift trucks.

“Sustainability is a priority for our business, and our relocation to Solar 120 enables us to deliver significant further progress in this area, with more investment in electric vehicles planned, providing us with the capability to decarbonise our customer supply chains.

“Alongside this, we continue to invest in our people and in technology to drive efficiency and productivity.

“It is an exciting time for the business as we celebrate our 50th anniversary.”