The warehouse was built in tandem with a new Community Centre on the site of the maisonettes, which were demolished by the council when an electrical fault which claimed the life of Valerie Barlow led to a devastating fire exposing structural faults and leaving no choice but to condemn the building. The day-to-day running of the warehouse fell to managers such as Dennis Maxwell and John Fitzpatrick but their superiors - company directors Sir Julius Berlin and Marcus Berlin - kept a close eye on the site and often dealt with site matters personally.