THE Hut Group has blamed ‘untenable’ parking woes for the decision to withdraw its head office from Gadbrook Park.

The group plans to withdraw more than half of its staff from Northwich by the end of the year, as it moves its head office to Manchester Airport.

The online retail conglomerate has been based in Rudheath since its foundation in 2004, but plans for further growth have seen it look elsewhere to a more flexible location.

More than 1,000 of THG’s workforce are based at its Northwich site, but many will be moved in phases to the airport location, which will eventually house 10,000 staff.

By the end of 2018, the group hopes to have around 500 staff based at Northwich compared to around 1,100 now.

A THG spokesman said: “Manchester Airport is our additional office space as THG invested heavily in talent during 2017, creating 1,884 jobs and growing our global workforce to over 4,000 colleagues, with an additional 2,000 expected by the end of 2018 and ambitions to grow to 10,000 staff over the coming years.

“A lack of adequate infrastructure at Gadbrook, including a recent decision to substantially reduce available parking on the site, has made the situation untenable for both staff and the local community alike.”

In the company’s annual report for 2017, it said: “Work begun on a new c870,000sq ft Head Office at Manchester Airport.

“The work will be completed in stages over the next two years and will ultimately house around 10,000 employees.”

The group has faced persistent setbacks in its bid to grow within Gadbrook Park, with plans for new access and car parking both falling by the wayside and leading to disputes with nearby residents.

Additionally, the possibility of a train station at Gadbrook Park – linking workers to Northwich and Sandbach and beyond – still looks to be years away.

THG’s annual report for 2017 reported that group sales were up to £736m, with 70 per cent of those in the international market.

The report added that 2017 had seen the move to Manchester Airport get underway. Staff will begin to relocate there in the coming weeks.

Most of the Gadbrook Park operation constitutes admin and marketing staff.

THG has taken space at 4M, next to the airport’s train station, as well as at Voyager.

It will also retain its premises at Gemini Retail Park in Warrington as part of the move. Around 800 staff work at the distribution centre, with other based at offices across the globe as the company expands.

Matthew Moulding, CEO of The Hut Group, said: “2017 was a year of significant development and growth for The Hut Group, as we invested in our infrastructure, our technology platform, our people and our brands. THG is now firmly a global player.”

He added: “With our growing, talented workforce, our leading brands and our cutting-edge technology and infrastructure, we look forward to a further year of growth in 2018.”