Experts from Bristol-headquartered law firm Burges Salmon have worked with US office furniture manufacturer Herman Miller on its new state-of-the-art £14m plant in Wiltshire.
The 170,000 sq ft (15,794 sq m) development, which is now finished and ready for fit-out on a brownfield site in Melksham, will combine Herman Miller’s Bath factory and Chippenham distribution centre. 
As well as securing 200 jobs, the new building will increase efficiency by bringing together the company’s regional research and development, manufacturing and logistics operations into a building that will also act as a showcase for the US firm’s unique approach to designing office work spaces. There is also sufficient space to increase operations on site in the future.
The Burges Salmon team, which included lawyers from its real estate, construction & engineering and planning units, advised Chicago-based Herman Miller on a range of legal matters including the site’s acquisition through a complex development agreement, the appointment of a development manager and support on the construction package, a unilateral undertaking with Wiltshire Council and a section 278 agreement with the council in relation to a new link road.
Herman Miller vice-president of international operations Richard Scott said: “We are delighted to have reached practical completion of our new facility and we are grateful to Burges Salmon for its support and guidance throughout this project.”
Burges Salmon real estate partner Ross Polkinghorne, pictured, added: “We are delighted to have been able to put the right team in place for the Herman Miller team from the outset of the project and provide advice across a number of different legal disciplines to help the client with the completion of this exciting new facility.” 
The building, known as Portal Mill, has been designed by leading UK architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, who also designed Herman Miller’s showpiece 1970’s Wood Mill factory in Bath – now grade II-listed – and its original 1980’s manufacturing and logistics facility in Chippenham, known as the Blue Building.
The new factory at Bowerhill will design, manufacture and assemble the Herman Miller range of office furniture, including its iconic office chairs, for sale in the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Herman Miller has also provided a new sports pavilion for AFC Melksham, who play on a field next to the new development.
Herman Miller will retain its international headquarters on Chippenham’s Methuen Park.
