Aico preparing moving to new HQ

The premises will include office space, auditorium, warehouse facilities, a passenger lift to provide full accessibility throughout the building, a centre of excellence, and car parking with wheelchair access spaces.

The Centre of Excellence will become Aico’s state-of-the art training, meeting and demonstration facility.

The building houses a range of rooms and demonstration areas designed to support customers from across the industry.

The building is also offered out to local businesses and the community free of charge, where they can make use of various rooms to hold meetings and training sessions.

These facilities have also been used for education purposes, whereby students from local schools have undertaken alarm challenge days and fire awareness sessions.

Since Aico’s original centre of excellence first opened in January 2015, over 2,000 visitors have received Aico’s Expert Installer training.

Housing associations, local authorities, electrical and gas contractors and electrical distributors have all benefited from the bespoke training sessions offered at the centre. It has also had numerous industry bodies using the meeting rooms to hold their regional meetings.

A picturesque landscape scheme has been developed to maximise use of the undeveloped areas of the site and incorporate a ‘trim trail’ and outside areas that can be enjoyed by staff and visitors alike for recreation and exercise.

There will also be a pond which will be an all-year water feature providing a natural wildlife habitat, surrounded by a wildflower meadow.

To mark the opening of the new centre, Aico has organised an open day for its employees and the local community. This will give the opportunity for members of the public to come along and experience the new facilities, before their official opening.

Managing director, Neal Hooper, said: “After being at our current premises for over twenty years and having undergone two extensions for our centre of excellence, we have outgrown our current space.

"We are excited that our new site will not only allow us to grow as a business, this growth will also bring new job opportunities to the local community of Oswestry."

Aico currently employs 41 office and warehouse staff at its current base on the Mile End Business park in Oswestry and 22 field-based staff.

If anyone would like to attend the Aico open day on October 19, it will run from 11am to 3pm.