From strategic marketing to successful sale: A landmark transaction in Witham

The 3.63-acre site provides 91,733 sq. ft of accommodation, including clear-span industrial space and offices. Its heavy-duty machine bases, 2,000 kVA electricity supply and 15 MW natural gas connection make it particularly well suited to industrial operations. The acquisition by TClarke marks the latest stage in the evolution of one of Witham’s most established industrial locations.

The site’s story stretches back more than 50 years. The land was purchased in 1975 by Mr Ronald Fox for the expansion of the family printing business Woodford Litho Ltd, which had evolved from his father’s business Fox Printing Press Ltd that was established in 1934. In 1976 the firm relocated from South Woodford in east London with Braintree District Council playing a key role in assisting with staff rehousing.

Historic photographs from the period provide a fascinating glimpse of the site before development began. Among those pictured, as well as Ronald (centre left), is Simon Fox, the seller of the property, who can be seen on the far left at the tender age of 17.

Simon Fox (Far Left) with his father and grandparents, together with the architects and builders, standing alongside Freebournes Road.

This view dating from the early development of the Freebournes Industrial Estate captures a very different landscape from the one seen today, with open fields stretching into the distance and only the beginnings of the estate’s infrastructure visible.

Simon Fox recalls: “In our first summer of operation there, I can remember watching a combine harvester trundling up and down on the other side of the old Witham to Maldon railway line. That autumn they started building the houses that became The Grove estate and, a bit later, Tesco.”

The first building on the site was constructed using the American Butler system during 1975/6. At the time, the building was reported to be the largest clear-span building in the South East. Designed for heavy manufacturing, the building was constructed with substantial electricity and gas supplies to support the requirements of the printing and binding machinery.

In 1997, Simon Fox oversaw the construction of the second building to accommodate the continued expansion of Woodford Litho’s printing operations.

Woodford Litho sadly closed its doors in 2015 against a background of massive and sustained contraction in the European high-volume web offset printing industry. Since the late 1990s, the newspaper and commercial web offset printing sectors have experienced an estimated 75–80% reduction in volume, a structural decline that continues to this day. The premises have more recently been leased for storage and distribution uses.

By the spring of 2025, Simon decided the time was right to offer the property for sale. Having worked successfully with Fenn Wright for over twenty years on lettings, surveying and valuation matters, he instructed James Wright to market the site at a guide price of £10 million.

“I am absolutely delighted to have concluded the sale to TClarke. It was always my ambition to find a buyer who would return these premises to their original purpose as a centre of manufacturing, assembly and employment. “Once TClarke complete their plans for the site, there may well be more people employed here than during Woodford Litho’s heyday. That would be a particularly satisfying outcome for me and a tremendous benefit to Witham.

“Having spent my entire working life associated with these buildings, it gives me enormous satisfaction to see them returning to productive industrial use as I bow out. Their more recent occupation for storage and distribution was always intended to be a temporary chapter in the site’s history, rather than its long-term future.”

The acquisition by TClarke ensures that this longstanding Witham employment site will now enter its next phase – continuing a story that began when the Freebournes Road industrial estate was little more than farm land.

Simon Fox (centre), pictured with Simon Baker of TClarke (left) and James Wright of Fenn Wright (right), marking the handover of the former Woodford Litho site.

If you would like expert advice regarding your property, please contact our Commercial Agency team in Witham on 01376 530135.