The Graven Hill Village Development Company is set to welcome Bicester-based E.P. Barrus Limited as its first commercial occupier in 2019.
The news brings to a close a seven year search by Barrus, who had previously tried unsuccessfully to find a site in the town that would enable them to consolidate their operations under one roof.
The company manufactures, markets, and distributes its products across a wide range of sectors including marine, garden and industrial. It also designs, develops and builds engines for customers across the UK and overseas.
Graven Hill’s Managing Director, Karen Curtin said: “We are delighted to welcome Barrus as the lead occupier for the commercial aspect of the Graven Hill site. Whilst retaining jobs in the town is vitally important, attracting a business with an
enviable reputation for quality products is a coup. It also endorses our belief that Graven Hill is an ideal location for businesses due to its excellent central location and ease of access to both the national road and rail networks.”
As a major employer in the town, Barrus has maintained a commitment to recruiting local people and has developed long-term relationships with Oxfordshire schools, colleges and universities offering work experience placements and apprenticeships to young engineering students. Many of these students have taken up a career in engineering and have become long-standing
Barrus employees.
Managing Director of Barrus, Robert Muir said: “We are looking forward to the beginning of a new and exciting chapter for Barrus, and integrating into the new village community within the innovative, Graven Hill Development.”