Case Study: Haier Europe (Hoover Candy Group) - Inward Investment in Cheshire and Warrington

Acquired by the Haier Group – the world’s number one in major domestic appliances – in September 2018, Hoover Candy is a manufacturer of domestic appliances within the laundry, cooling, cooking, dishwashing and floorcare categories.

Having previously operated from several offices – Bolton, Bromborough, Merthyr Tydfil and Reading – the group was keen to consolidate its workspaces and, in 2019, selected Warrington as the base for its UK operations

Haier UK chose Birchwood Park for its excellent connectivity, high quality office space, facilities and transport links for staff, initially taking a 12,000 sq ft space for both office and showroom facilities. However, the company took the step to expand in 2020, taking an additional 7,000 sq ft adjacent and creating further room to grow.

Today, the business’ finance, HR, commercial and communications teams are all based at Birchwood Park, enabling cross-departmental collaboration and a more cohesive way of working.

The on-site showroom also enables the business to showcase its three brands – Candy, Hoover and Haier – demonstrating the breadth of product on offer and versatility of the company.

And, in line with a commitment to the local community, Hoover has since become the principle club sponsor for Super League Warrington Wolves rugby league club.

Matthew Given, UK Group Director for HR at Haier UK, said: “Basing ourselves in Warrington seemed like a really natural step to be able to regularly bring together our teams across commercial and head office operations, with our service team based just down the road in Bolton.

“Birchwood Park massively appealed to us due to its fantastic transport links and ability to widen our reach, meaning we had access to even more fresh talent within close proximity.

“The space we’ve taken has allowed us to create a fantastic brand activation centre, auditorium and meeting centre that showcases our brands perfectly, as well as bringing together colleagues from different functions within the company who were dispersed regionally and may not have had the chance to work collaboratively day-to-day with each other previously.

“Looking forward, we’re keen to work with the Cheshire and Warrington Growth Hub, especially with regards to The Pledge initiative, as we’d be interested to tap into the area’s upcoming talent and help shape the next generation of our workforce.”

Andy Devaney, Business Innovation Director at Cheshire and Warrington LEP’s Growth Hub, said: “Haier UK is a fantastic asset for the sub-region’s economy – it is a business with household-name brands that has chosen Warrington as its new home.

“We’re looking forward to helping to embed them in our local economy and working with them alongside partners, including Warrington Borough Council and Patrizia, to give them the support to develop staff and access the full range of programmes that are available."