FAMILY retailer Charles Clinkard has officially opened its new £3 million head office and warehouse at Cannon Park, Middlesbrough.

Bryan Wilkinson, retired visual display manager, and 14 year old Lottie Clinkard, for the 4th generation of the family, officially opened the new building.

Mr Wilkinson, who worked for the retailer for 30 years, named the previous head office Eveline House at Preston Farm.

Key suppliers and business partners toasted the new facility and enjoyed guided tours of the expansive new office and warehousing space.

The warehouse, next to the Royal Mail Sorting Office at Cannon Park, can store up to 250,000 pairs of shoes and is providing the company with the extra capacity needed to meet its increasing online sales.

Charles Clinkard, managing director, said: "We’re delighted to officially open our new head office and warehouse. It’s an excellent dedicated facility and one which will enable us to continue to grow the business and our product offering.

"We’ve invested in extra warehouse capacity which means we’ll be in the ideal place to satisfy the demand for our products, providing a wide range of choice to our discerning customers."

Mr Clinkard's grandparents started the business in 1924. It now has 33 stores and employs more than 552 people nationwide.

The management team has worked with Dennis McLuckie – the Richmolnd-based construction project manager – at every stage of the build.

He and his 40-strong team of local workers built the new head office and warehouse using the steel framework of the original building – a former homewares store. More than 30,000 bricks were used, along with additional steel framework, to support a 1,300 square metre suspended concrete deck which is home to a suite of offices.

The building boasts solar panels and solar controlled anti-glare glass, making it hugely energy efficient.