A WAREHOUSE has been sold to a major truck dealership for a price of £4.6million.

The refurbished 45,000sq ft plot at Howley Trade Park has been acquired by Diamond Trucks.

Ireland’s largest Renault truck dealership, the site – which consists of four separate units – will become the company’s first location in England as part of its plans to expand into the UK mainland.

Work is now underway to remodel and fit out three of the units in order to create new dealership premises, which are due to open in August.

The remaining building will be let out by B8 Real Estate, who acted as joint agent for vendor Vengrove Real Estate Management alongside CBRE.

It follows ‘seven years of continued growth’ in Northern Ireland, where it has helped to increase Renault Trucks’ market share from two to 10 per cent.

Diamond Trucks director Harry Nash said: “Since 2015, Diamond Trucks Northern Ireland has gone from strength to strength – building a reputation for outstanding service support.

“The acquisition of our new site in Warrington is a good strategic fit for us, extending our influence to support Renault Trucks operators on both sides of the water and opening up opportunities for new business in the area.

“We continue to see great value in the Renault Trucks brand and its product range that is growing in both market share and confidence and look forward to welcoming customers to Diamond Trucks UK in the coming months.”

Thomas Marriott, of B8 Real Estate, added: “The sale represents one of the best prices achieved to date for a refurbished second-hand unit of its size in the region and reflects the strong demand.

“Howley Trade Park is an ideal location for Diamond Trucks’ first UK base – close to the motorway network and with easy access to the ports of Liverpool, Holyhead and Heysham.”