SEGRO’s Acton Park expansion enables City Harvest to increase its capacity by 15% to distribute free meals to vulnerable people in London

SEGRO has co-funded and installed a new 1,800 sq ft mezzanine floor within the unit occupied by City Harvest at its Acton Park estate, which will create the potential for the surplus food redistribution charity to more than double its output to 60,000 meals a day for vulnerable people across London this winter.

30 people attended a ribbon cutting event in Acton to mark the completion of the refurbished collection and distribution hub. Guests included Rupa Huq, MP for Ealing Central and Acton, and Harriet Lamb, CEO of Wrap, the climate action NGO.

The expansion of City Harvest comes at a time of rising food poverty, with an unprecedented number of families unable to afford to buy food. The charity collects surplus food from restaurants, grocers, manufacturers, wholesalers, hotels and caterers, delivering high quality, nourishing meals to community food programmes that feed the homeless, individuals and families in transition, women in crises, refugees, veterans, children and the elderly.

SEGRO worked closely with its supply chain to construct the mezzanine floor at the charity’s existing depot in Acton. Additionally, SEGRO was able to accommodate City Harvest’s growth ambitions within the existing property instead of the charity having to move to another location avoiding disrupting to its operations while the works were underway.

Funding for the project was a joint effort with other charitable and business organisations SEGRO, The Story of Christmas and Permira. Employees from Bowden Moss, Arcadis, Clear Drains (UK) Ltd and Eversheds Sutherland, supply chain partners for the project, also contributed on a pro-bono basis to help save the charity significant costs.

Dean Bernard, Head of Operations at City Harvest, said:

“SEGRO has played an instrumental role in facilitating City Harvest’s expansion, enabling us to meet the extreme need faced by London and beyond. Record levels of food poverty are being addressed whilst at the same time, City Harvest is supporting the food industry on its journey towards net zero and rescuing food waste. This expansion will change the lives of thousands, shaping the health of our future.

“SEGRO has worked closely with City Harvest to build a mezzanine and reconfigure our space so we can rescue, store and deliver greater volumes of food. We have now increased our total operating capability which creates the potential to increase activity by over 60,000 meals, more than doubling our current daily output.”

Bonnie Minshull, Head of London at SEGRO, said:

“SEGRO takes its responsibility towards the local community seriously and is proud to support City Harvest’s incredible work in combating food poverty, while simultaneously tackling food waste.

“I am delighted that through our Responsible SEGRO commitment to invest in local communities we were able to help unlock additional funding, and incredibly proud that we could bring together contributions from our supply chain partners to ensure the project was delivered on time and on budget. The outcome is that fewer vulnerable people in London will go hungry.”

Rupa Huq, Labour MP for Ealing Central and Acton, said:

“It’s always inspiring to visit City Harvest at SEGRO’s Acton Park estate, I’m full of admiration for their long-standing work supplying west London and 27 other boroughs with food. It is, however, bittersweet to see City Harvest is needed more than ever. The expansion reflects an acute need to increase capacity at this desperate time. I congratulate the whole team in making this happen."

About SEGRO

SEGRO is a UK Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), listed on the London Stock Exchange and Euronext Paris, and is a leading owner, manager and developer of modern warehouses and industrial property.  It owns or manages 10.3 million square metres of space (110 million square feet) valued at £21.0 billion serving customers from a wide range of industry sectors. Its properties are located in and around major cities and at key transportation hubs in the UK and in seven other European countries.

For over 100 years SEGRO has been creating the space that enables extraordinary things to happen. From modern big box warehouses, used primarily for regional, national and international distribution hubs, to urban warehousing located close to major population centres and business districts, it provides high-quality assets that allow its customers to thrive. 

A commitment to be a force for societal and environmental good is integral to SEGRO’s purpose and strategy. Its Responsible SEGRO framework focuses on three long-term priorities where the company believes it can make the greatest impact: Championing Low-Carbon Growth, Investing in Local Communities and Environments and Nurturing Talent. 

Striving for the highest standards of innovation, sustainable business practices and enabling economic and societal prosperity underpins SEGRO’s ambition to be the best property company.