When motor accessory retailer, York Motor Factors, decided to open a new depot in Selby, workspace design expert, Butler & Willow was tasked with creating an environment which mirrored the company’s successful headquarters in York.

The design had to house thousands of motor accessory parts, allowing them to be easily and safely stored and picked. To create the necessary space Butler & Willow designed a mezzanine floor covering 84% of the total area.  The remainder was left open by the main goods in door to allow vehicle access.

The main structural beams of the mezzanine floor flew over the top of the existing breezeblock perimeter walls and up to the exterior cladding, utilising the space to its best advantage

This design meant that only the suspended ceilings over the existing offices needed to be removed but modifications to the existing internal breezeblock office walls was unnecessary

The new fire rated ceiling to the underside of the mezzanine floor also created the replacement ceilings in the office, canteen and toilet.

Unirack shelving was installed both on and underneath the mezzanine, with a total of 222 bays. These were of varying widths, depths and heights to cater for the different products, available ceiling height and also taking into account access and emergency escape corridors. The client built the Unirack shelving allowing them to configure it to each product as they progressed

Unirack offers strong storage capability, flexibility, cost effectiveness and a comprehensive range of accessories to suit a wide variety of applications.

Designed for easy assembly and installation, it is capable of being constructed into single bays or up to three-tier installations as high as 12 metres, to accommodate anything from shelving to bins, hanging garments to tyre racking.

In addition the wide range of accessories such as shelf dividers, integrated small parts bins, bin fronts, cladding, hanging rails and identification label holders, transform the basic Unirack system into a tailor made installation.

Barry O’Brien of York Motor Factors said: “We’re delighted with the fit out of our Selby depot. Having previously worked with Butler & Willow we were confident that they understood our requirements, work with care and diligence and that the outcome would be a quality job.”