A PIONEERING company that manufactures ecologically sound cleaning materials has made Basingstoke its UK home.

Ecover, which makes soap products ranging from washing up liquid to floor cleaner, has relocated to Basing View – bringing two brands together.

UK general manager Tim Smith explained that the move stems from when Belgium-owned Ecover acquired San Francisco-based Method Products in 2012. The deal made Ecover the world’s largest green cleaning product company.

Prior to the move, Ecover’s UK office was in Newbury, while Method’s was in Richmond, London.

Tim said: “We chose Basingstoke as it was the place that was easiest for both teams to get to – and also we wanted to make sure that we were still in a location that we could attract new people to the team. We’ve already recruited six new people and we’re recruiting for another four.

“What we are trying to do is get good people from the local area, such as bright young graduates, to work for us.”

Currently, there are 20 people working at the sales and marketing office in Basing View.

Tim said: “I think Basingstoke – which we prefer to call Amazingstoke – is great in terms of location, especially for its transport facilities, whether it’s getting on the M3 or getting back to London on the train. We’ve also been out to a few lunches at Festival Place – so it’s very convenient.”

Tim said he is pleased to learn of new developments that are set to take place at the business park, including plans to build the John Lewis at home and Waitrose landmark superstore.

“Actually, that was one of the things that attracted us to Basing View,” said Tim, who is also interested in the regeneration of the business park.

The company’s new base is at 2200 Renaissance, which was previously Clydesdale Bank’s Basingstoke financial solutions centre. The boardroom now boasts a table tennis table.

Tim said the eco-friendly company was keen to make use of an existing office building rather than a new-build. He said: “We didn’t want to be the first into a new office –we wanted to use what was there.”

The company, which this year will mark its 35th anniversary, sells around 50 products under the Ecover brand, and 30 with the Method name.

Tim said: “We have the fastest-growing brands on the market. What’s great to see is that consumers are making a green choice about the products they buy and are recognising that they can each do their bit for the planet.”