Paper giant, The Navigator Company, moves UK HQ to Newbury

'Newbury has strong local amenities that suit us and a real sense of community'

ONE of the world’s largest paper manufacturers has moved its UK headquarters to Newbury.

The Navigator Company, which employs more than 3,000 people in 15 different countries, recently relocated from Epsom, Surrey, to the Courtyard, off London Road.

UK and Ireland general manager Ashley Miller said, “We have offices in Madrid, Cologne, Mexico City, Dubai and various other places, but Newbury just felt right.

“We know that Newbury has been named one of the best places in Europe for businesses of the future, with employment and lifestyle being factors in the rankings from the Financial Times.

“For us geographic location and community are also important aspects.

“Newbury has great links via the A34 and M4 and a direct train service to Paddington, which is brilliant, so it gives us good access to our broad client base, in the UK.

“Newbury has strong local amenities that suit us and a real sense of community. We are very happy to be here.”

The company produces in Portugal, with about 91 per cent of The Navigator Company’s products sold outside the country.

Its flagship brand Navigator – a high-quality, sustainable office paper – is sold in more than 130 countries around the world, along with other brands Pioneer, Inacopia, Discovery, Soporset, Target and Inaset, which include a broad range of graphical paper products.

This makes the company the largest manufacturer of uncoated woodfree (UWF) paper for printing and writing in Europe and the sixth largest manufacturer worldwide.

In addition, it is an integrated producer of pulp, tissue and energy (more than 50 per cent of all power generated in Portugal from biomass, a renewable source of energy, is produced by The Navigator Company).

Biodiversity conservation and responsible forest management are the foundations of the company’s business model. It manages more than 110,000 hectares of FSC and/or PEFC certified forest and has the largest certified nursery in Europe.

Mr Miller said: “People probably see us as pariahs of the planet rather than the protectors we are. We are ‘reforesters’, not deforesters. We plant more than we actually ever consume, and we are committed to the sustainable management of our forests.

“Our mission is to be a global company admired for the innovative and sustainable way it transforms forests into products and services that contribute to human well-being.”

The Navigator Company has set a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2035, 15 years ahead of the European Union goals.