Expanding Car Parks Operator Apex Parking Doubles In Size

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Expanding car parks operator Apex Parking has doubled the size of its portfolio by acquiring 10 new properties.

The company has also rapidly grown its workforce with its headcount now standing at 44 after transferring in 21 staff from a previous operator in one day.

Apex Parking‘s newest locations are Pall Mall, Moorfields and Rumford Street in Liverpool, Chorlton Street in Manchester, The Core in Leeds, New Street, Royal Angus, Londonderry and Horsefair in Birmingham and High Street in Weston-super-Mare.

The company, which was founded in 2021, already operated 10 car parks in London, Liverpool, Manchester, Chester, Bristol, Stoke, Ipswich and Hounslow. The new acquisitions came about after National Car Parks (NCP), which was founded in 1931 and with a portfolio of 340 UK car parks, went into administration in March.

Landowner GreenPoint, a global real assets investment firm with more than $1 billion of equity under management, decided to move away from NCP and the administration process and find new operators for their 32 sites.

Working through their pan-European business management company partner Lysara, GreenPoint decided to split its portfolio between Apex Parking, which already ran three sites for them, and another operator.

Director Ben Sullivan said:

“We are particularly pleased to have been chosen as the as preferred management partner for these 10 car parks by GreenPoint."

“We believe their decision was very much influenced by the work we have done to turn around the existing three sites but also for the significant commercial support and insight we gave them post-NCP’s administration announcement."

“This expansion is another significant step in our journey and reflects the confidence our clients continue to place in our team. Strategically it has worked out very well for us, geographically complementing our existing sites and allowing us to both expand and move forward rapidly through economies of scale."

“We will be upgrading the car parks to the most modern standards, making the lighting better, changing bay markings, improving and reducing signage, increasing safety aspects and dealing with anti-social behaviour."

“The installation of new equipment, supplied by APT Skidata, is making the act of parking simpler and more pleasant – and we offer competitive prices, with discounts for subscribers and season tickets and also reward schemes."

“We would like to reassure drivers by pointing out that we will be honouring season tickets previously bought through NCP for our 10 new car parks, even though we are not obliged to do so by law and most likely will not be receiving any of those funds."

“As a responsible employer we are also dedicated to improving the facilities for our dedicated and hard-working staff. They are the face of our business, the people interacting with our customers and dealing with any issues.”

“Working with a landlord who understands our vision in terms of putting staff back into car parks is so refreshing, as is the appreciation that we need to invest to build a decent, sustainable business and it is the long-term revenues we are looking at, not making a quick buck and disappearing.”

Scott Parsons, chief executive of Lysara, said:

“Over the past few months, the team has worked at pace to transition 30 assets into a stronger operating structure, securing long-term income with Q-Park across 20 sites and retaining attractive operational upside across a further 10 sites with Apex."

“This is an important milestone for Lysara. The new arrangements strengthen the quality and resilience of the portfolio, refocus on the customer experience and preserve our flexibility to integrate new services, including EV charging, overtime.”

Apex Parking, founded in 2021, operates 20 car parks across England, including London, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Chester, Bristol and Birmingham. Visit here for more details with Apex Parking.

Photo: Car park operator Apex Parking directors, from left, Iain Selbie, Guy Watson and Ben Sullivan have overseen a doubling of the size of the company with the acquisition of 10 new properties across the country

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Jan 16, 2025
2 min read

A Nottingham-based packaging giant has bolstered its current machinery fleet by investing in a £1.4m die-cutter.

The Bobst Expertcut 106 PER 3.0 is the latest machine to arrive on site after a massive investment programme for the Nottingham headquarters. It had to be specially built from scratch in Switzerland, before making its way to The Wilkins Group in Colwick Nottingham.

It is anticipated that the new addition will further increase productivity and efficiency in the production of folding cartons for the global brand and help deliver its full order book for 2025.

The new machine is equipped with Bobst’s latest ‘Smart Feeder 2’ technology as well as an APT logistics system.

This specialist machine die-cuts printed sheets and then strips the internal waste away and fully blanks the cartons onto the pallet, all at a tremendous 9,000 sheets per hour.

It is expected that the new Expertcut 106 PER 3.0 will handle 40 million sheets annually.

Joint managing director Justin Wilkins said:

“Equipped with a Centreline system, this new equipment will allow for quick job changeovers, enhancing our productivity and ultimately enhancing our efficiency and delivery for customers."

"It will ensure that we can maintain the quality that our customers are used to whilst adding to our order book for 2025."

The commissioned Expertcut 106 PER 3.0 includes power register 3, which automatically controls the print register, ensuring a high-quality job every time.

In addition to the ‘Smart Feeder 2’ technology, the machine boasts an independent feeder with electrical drive-shaft as well as ‘Quick Set’ and ‘Stop & Go’ functions.

The Expertcut also has an APT logistics system, which automatically changes the pallets over and does not require any operator intervention.

The Wilkins Group is a family run firm that produces food packaging for many of the UK's leading brands – including Pukka, Pizza Express, Harrods, and Cadbury’s to name a few. It also is credited with producing bespoke and award-winning items such as eco-friendly hangers and the iconic M&S light-up glitter gin bottles.

Justin added:

“We have bought many machines from Bobst over the years and this latest addition, with its enhanced features such as the APT logistics system, further expands and enhances our die-cutting capabilities. It will ensure that our ambitious plans for the future remain on track.”

The new Bobst Expertcut 106 PER 3.0 marks the latest investment in The Wilkins Group’s UK headquarters. The die-cutting department now is unrivalled in the industry and the company is super proud of its achievements in this area.

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Expanding Car Parks Operator Apex Parking Doubles In Size

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