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Abbey Extends Strategic Partnership with British Sugar
Abbey Logistics has announced the acquisition of South West based liquid food tanker specialist Welch Hire, which includes the company’s customer base and tank hire business.
The transaction extends Abbey’s network coverage with the addition of 48 bulk liquid road tankers and 13 tractor units. The deal also gives Abbey an operating site in the South West of England and a larger customer footprint in Europe, which Abbey says will open further commercial opportunities for the business.
Welch is well known in the bulk liquid food and animal feed markets in both the U.K. and Europe, and the company shares several customers with Abbey. Together, the combined business will further strengthen Abbey’s position as the UK’s leading tanker company in bulk liquid food as the deal adds further scale, capability, and flexibility into its operations.
Founded in 1998, Welch Hire has a large and modern liquid bulk road tanker fleet, and in addition to their tank hire business, the company provides both fully managed logistics solutions and single ‘spot’ product movements of bulk liquid food grade products throughout the UK and Europe.
Welch’s employees will transfer to Abbey under the deal and the company will be integrated into the Abbey brand following a period of familiarisation.
Steve Granite, Abbey Logistics CEO said:
“This acquisition is a natural step for us as we further enhance our market-leading position in bulk liquid food and boost the support we provide to customers in the UK and Europe.
“Through strategic acquisitions like this, we are unlocking opportunities in new geographies and accelerating the growth we have seen in the business in the last two years.
“We are fully committed to supporting our liquid food grade customers and this acquisition is a demonstration of that commitment, and our willingness to invest significantly to ensure we deliver outstanding service in terms of dependability, flexibility and scale.
“Through this deal, we are acquiring some great people and a strong tanker fleet, and we are looking forward to welcoming the Welch Hire team into our business.”
Nick Wheller and Melissa Davies of Welch Hire said:
“The decision to join Abbey Logistics was a natural one as our two companies are perfectly aligned in our approach to a customer service focused operation.
“We know our team will make a valuable contribution to the future growth of Abbey Logistics and together we will create an unbeatable service for our bulk liquid food customers through our dedication to our customers and an unrivalled knowledge of this specialist market.”
