YORK tent and teepee specialist PapaKåta is relocating its headquarters to larger premises alongside plans to open a base in the south as its nationwide customer base grows.

This month will see the PapaKåta team move to new premises in Sherburn in Elmet, followed by the opening of a Southern base in Henley-on-Thames by April.

The relocation to the new modern warehouse at Sherburn Industrial Estate follows six years at Manor Farm in Acaster Malbis near York. The detached 13,204 square foot facility includes expansion land and offices.

Richard Monaghan, founder and director at PapaKåta, said: "We’ve simply outgrown the space at Manor Farm. The new warehouse is perfectly located with quick access to both the A1(M) and M62 motorways, allowing us to offer more competitive delivery to our growing client base."

Established following their own teepee wedding, Richard and Amanda Monaghan have grown PapaKåta considerably since 2006 to be one of the leading teepee providers in the UK.

Last year saw PapaKåta sign an exclusive deal with US outdoor venue specialist, Sperry Tents, to bring the Sperry sailcloth tents to the UK market.

Mr and Mrs Monaghan say the catalyst to their ambitious expansion plans has been a grant from the Regional Growth Fund of £240,000 by the York, North Yorkshire & East Riding Enterprise Partnership.

Chairman of the Enterprise Partnership Board Barry Dodd said: "PapaKåta is a great example of how the Local Enterprise Partnership is helping local businesses achieve what they want to, in this case to expand their business and stay in our region.

"The funding provided will have real benefits for the local area, with PapaKåta safeguarding and creating 24 jobs over the next two years."

Papakåta currently has 20 full-time employees, which increases to over 60 in the high summer season when their experienced crew set up outdoor structures for more than 300 weddings, parties and corporate events across the country.

Mr Monaghan said: "We have always serviced the whole of the UK from our York base, however, this second base enables us to offer a more competitive delivery cost to our growing client base in the South."

This second base will be a smaller 3,500 square foot warehouse facility, again with expansion land.