WSL is pleased to announce the completion of a large scale project on behalf of successful family owned shoe retailer Pavers Headquartered in York. Consisting of a multi tier mezzanine floor, long span shelving and pallet racking, Pavers now have a more productive and streamlined operation. We began the project earlier this year as announced in our news blog and despite a pause due to the Covid19 lockdown, the project has been a real success.
About Pavers
Based at Northminster Business Park in York, Pavers have been supplying the nation with fashionable, yet comfortable footwear for 50 years. Having recently acquired Jones Bootmaker and Herring Shoes Pavers extended their 38.750 sq ft head office and distribution centre with an additional 47,000 sq ft of warehouse space. The extension has increased the footprint area of their head quarters by 112% allowing shoe storage capacity to increase from 480k pairs to 1.2 million pairs with room for future growth.
Pavers requirements
Having acquired additional shops to serve, Pavers were looking to not only increase storage capacity, but to streamline their operations to improve service to their growing number of shops and online customers. To help achieve this, Pavers wanted to eliminate third party warehousing and bring all storage in-house and were also keen to future proof their headquarters making them readily prepared for projected future growth, so to ensure this WSL came up with smart bespoke solutions which included:
Multi tier mezzanine floor
Constructed over three phases this mass scale warehouse mezzanine floor provides an additional 54,000 square meters of usable floor space extending from the mezzanine floor levels in the original warehouse and uniquely designed by our team to support Pavers’ operations and make the best use of their space. The mezzanine and staircases were manufactured in accordance to CE Marking BE EN 1090 at our factory in Leeds and required the usage of 111.93 tonnes of steel in total. Once the main steel work had been installed we completed the flooring using around 15,000 decking boards across both floor levels. The new mezzanine levels have transformed the warehouse space allowing a more efficient and organised operation and has now enabled Pavers to accommodate all their storage requirements in-house with enough space to progress in the future.
Steel usage for the mezzanine floor:
Phase 1 = 56,000kg
Phase 2 = 26,700kg
Phase 3 = 25,500kg
Mezzanine Access
WSL designed and manufactured four bespoke staircases each consisting of four pairs of stringers to enhance durability. Along with the mezzanine floor these staircases were manufactured at our in-house factory in Leeds, West Yorkshire using 3,730kg of steel. Provided in painted finish the treads are black in colour with highly visible yellow nosing. The stairs have been located in accordance to fire safety whilst allowing fast and easy access to the mezzanine levels.
Long span shelving system
Integrated across all the mezzanine floor levels, long span shelving was the ideal solution for singular shoe box storage. Accommodating the additional 720,000 pairs of shoes requiring storage, this smart shelving system consisting of 65,000 bays with edge labels allowing easy navigation with quick and direct access ensuring a fully optimised picking process is achieved.
Pallet racking
With flexibility in mind, Pavers opted for wide aisle pallet racking, also known as adjustable pallet racking (APR) for the storage and handling of pallets loaded with shoe boxes as they enter the warehouse. Providing direct access to every pallet this highly versatile and easily adjustable system can be easily reconfigured to suit needs as they change.
Installation under Covid19 guideline
Just as the second phase of the mezzanine floor was being completed the government introduced the national Covid19 lockdown. During the lockdown WSL continued to manufacture the steel component parts for the third phase and as this was being completed WSL and Pavers worked together to draw up a plan which would enable works to restart so we could finish the project safely. Six weeks later the last 25,500kg of steel was delivered directly from our factory to site and we were able to resume work with new safety measures in place.
The vast amount of space within the building may have assisted as our team worked at a distance from one another, however new measures were introduced to ensure the safety at all times. Our installation team were supplied with additional personal protective equipment (PPE) which they wore at all times and were careful not to share equipment. Staggered start times, finishing times and lunch breaks helped to minimise gatherings whilst the larger part of any site introductions were completed outside. Regular hand washing whilst singing “happy birthday” twice each time along with periodic equipment cleaning were also highly important guidance’s which were followed throughout.
The end result
Serving their 170 plus shops across the UK, 40 more in India, their online customers and their 24 hour shopping channel at Sky Channel 678, Pavers can now effectively serve them all from one single facility. On finishing the Scheme our Project team Managers Clive Fawthrop and Sam Rowley who managed and oversaw the project from the beginning to completion said
”This was a diverse and stimulating project undertaken in “interesting” times. Fortunately, Pavers and all the contractors worked together on site as a team to make sure we finished on time and safely without un-necessary conflict. Not only that, we liked the product so much we each bought a pair of shoes for ourselves.”
Our history with Pavers
As a fellow family owned Yorkshire business, WSL is pleased with the outcome of this project and very proud to have been working to support Pavers as they have continued to grow over the last 18 years. Over almost two decades WSL has gained extensive knowledge and a real understanding of Pavers as a company and their unique operations which enable us to develop exactly the right solutions for their business. We wish Pavers every success in their newly reformed space.
We can help you too
Whether it’s a simple shelving system, a pallet racking design or a mezzanine floor you require WSL can help in the same way we have Pavers. Why not give us a call today on 0113 2045350 and speak to one of our expert designers. Or email sales@wslmail.co.uk and we will get straight back to you.
