Global manufacturing giant Ryobi has expanded its operations at Kilroot Business Park.

The Japanese firm, which makes components for the automobile and electronics industries, now occupies 79,500 sq ft at the 60-acre site, marketed jointly by Lisney and McConnell Chartered Surveyors on behalf of London-based Canmoor.

The presence of one of the world’s largest and best-known manufacturing firms further cements Kilroot Business Park’s reputation for providing world-class industrial facilities.

Andrew Gawley, Associate Director at Lisney, commented:

“We are delighted that Ryobi has leased further space, taking the company up to a total of 79,500 sq ft within the park. This is exactly the type of high-profile tenant we have been targeting.

“With limited space in Belfast-based industrial parks such as Dargan, Duncrue and Mallusk, and the short commute time to Belfast, Kilroot is an attractive offering, while the opportunity for a design and build of new units adds further to the site’s potential.”

Recent improvements to the nearby A2 road have allowed the park to benefit from a reduced journey time of only 15 minutes from Belfast.

The park currently has industrial and office units ranging from 100 to 90,000 sq ft available to let, while there are also new design and build opportunities from 15,000 sq ft to 130,000 sq ft.

Rory McConnell, Director at McConnell Chartered Surveyors, said:

“Canmoor has been very proactive since acquiring Kilroot Business Park and has undertaken various works which have added to the attractiveness of the park.

“The Ryobi letting follows a number of lettings within the park and is greatly enhancing the tenant mix, which also includes IFS Global Logistics and FedEx.”

David Watson, Managing Director at Ryobi, said:

“We are very pleased to take the opportunity to expand our CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machining capacity within the Kilroot site. It represents a major long-term investment for Ryobi in the machining and quality assurance activities required to support recently-announced new business contracts.”