Alco Valves Group

By Julia Ford

During February 2023, Julia Ford, Marketing Manager and Lucy Rotchell, PA from Towngate, visited tenant Alco Valves Group and met General Manager, Michael West. Alco have been occupying the Towngate owned Industrial Unit AR2 at Armytage Road Industrial Estate in Brighouse, near Leeds, since December 2020,

Michael spoke very warmly of Towngate, in particular the Facilities Manager, Jake Wilde, mentioning that any issues have always been resolved in an expeditious manner. The building perfectly suits the needs and requirements of the company and Michael mentioned that Brighouse is in a prime position for the business, ideally located, in terms of its close proximity to the motorway.

The design, manufacture and delivery of high-quality valves for critical applications – in particular to the oil and gas industries – is Alco’s main focus and since their inception in 1977, they have gained approval from major gas and oil providers on a global scale, as well as having built an enviable reputation. Just two months into their lease at Armytage Road, Alco acquired Sabre Valves. The acquisition of Sabre has been a real asset and the two companies run seamlessly in tandem.

Despite the trials of the last 3 years brought on by Covid, Brexit and the unrest in the Ukraine – which for Alco has been the biggest challenge, due to Russia being a particularly prevalent country for oil & gas exports – it was fantastic to hear that the company has truly thrived by adding extra strings to their bow and have recently begun expansion into the Middle East market; something Sabre has enabled the business to do.

November 2022 saw the business exceed their monthly target by the largest figure for seven years, an impressive accolade in the current climate, with their targets for the start of 2023 already being surpassed. Following their chat with Michael, Julia and Lucy were taken on a quick tour of the warehouse – the hub of the company – where the precision and organisation that has clearly contributed to Alco’s reputation, was clear to see.

With Covid putting a stop toTowngate’s usual annual tenant visits for a number of years, it really has been a pleasure to start these up again; not least when we get to learn about the very forward thinking and hard working tenants we are so lucky to work with.

During our visit, Michael commented

“Being with a locally based landlord who as a company, is still run like a family business, is a great treat. I have dealt with other corporate landlords who don’t afford the same quality of care and commitment to their tenants – this for me is the true value of Towngate”.

Industrial Unit and Warehouse, AR2 is strategically situated on the established and highly popular Armytage Road Industrial Estate, which sits adjacent to Junction 25 of the M62 Motorway, just 15 minutes from Leeds city centre. Brighouse town centre is ¾ of a mile away, and Bradford, Huddersfield and Halifax are close by. All of the Towngate properties located on Armytage Road, benefit from high profile roadside frontage.