Logistics firm John K Philips Group relocates headquarters from St Helens to 135,000 sq ft Warrington site that is fully covered by solar panels and is ‘carbon neutral’. Tony McDonough reports

From left, Maggie McMellon, John Philips, Alan Simpson and Karrie Hughes of John K Philips

Logistics firm John K Philips Group has relocated its headquarters from St Helens to Warrington in what it claims is a “carbon neutral” building.

John K Philips, which has traded for 50 years, has moved into the 135,000 sq ft warehouse and office facility. Called Solar 120, it is fully covered by solar panels, and with LED lighting, heat pumps and new electric forklift trucks

It enables the firm to provide carbon neutral warehousing to its customers as they increasingly strive to decarbonise the distribution of their goods.

Previously a BT call centre, the building was acquired in 2022 by CBRE Investment Management and transformed into a modern warehouse. It 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. 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. John’s daughter Karrie Hughes is 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. All of its drivers have ADR training to transport specialist freight.

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’ve 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. 

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“Solar 120 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 enables us to deliver significant further progress in this area.”

John K Philips is a member of the Palletforce express distribution network, which enables it to provide local customers of any size with overnight delivery of freight across the UK and into Europe.