22 DEALMAKERS
FOX ON THE RUN TOWARDS FURTHER GROWTH
An ambitious Lancashire headquartered haulage, earthwork and plant hire specialist continues to break new ground.
Fox Group’s latest multi-million pound deal has further solidified its national footprint and strengthened its market position.
In the past three years the group has continued to deliver on its strategy to expand its scope and scale with a series of high-profile acquisitions.
The latest, announced in December, saw the purchase of B&W Plant Hire & Sales, which has depots in Blackburn, Keighley, Northwich and Southampton.
Established in 1963 by Bill and Mary Whitwell, the company started with just one piece of equipment, a JCB 3C. Today B&W operates a hire fleet of more than 2,500 items of modern equipment.
Fox Group’s managing director Paul Fox said: “B&W has a strong reputation with solid family values and a fantastic team who are passionate about their customers, which is aligned with the Fox Group culture.
“The acquisition of B&W adds a large amount of plant items to our
already significant fleet of plant, tippers, specialist compact equipment and bulk haulage.
“The geographical spread of B&W’s depots also extends the reach of Fox Group, increasing our already extensive footprint across the UK.”
Will Whitwell, owner of B&W, said: “After a lifetime in the industry and 25 years building B&W, I feel that the time is right for the next chapter in the company’s journey.
“Fox Group are a fantastic fit to hand B&W over to. Paul and his team are very dynamic and the future will be exciting for the company.”
Fox is a fourth-generation family business that can trace its history back to 1932. Through organic and acquisition growth, it now boasts 30 locations, a 300-wagon fleet, 4,500 items of plant and machinery as well as employment for 700 people.
Its growth journey really got underway in 2020, with the acquisition of Hurt Plant Hire. It was a multi-million-pound deal that brought together two of the North West’s heavyweight operators in the construction sector.
LOGISTIC FIRM TAKES NATIONAL ROUTE
A rapidly growing east Lancashire headquartered logistics firm ended a fruitful year of acquisitions with two December deals.
EFS Global completed the deal for sister companies Eminence Transport and Floryn, both based on England’s south coast. The move further strengthens the group’s UK reach.
The companies, operating out of Maidstone in Kent, provide pallet network, general haulage and warehousing and fulfilment services. The fulfilment aspect was of particular interest to EFS and its says that will add to its “service offering”.
The purchases, for an undisclosed sum, follows the acquisitions of Tom Moorhouse & Son of Huddersfield, Andante Freight, based in Bradford, and Pegasus Express, which has sites in Scotland and Preston, all completed in 2022.
Driven by its buy-to-build strategy Burnley-based EFS Global now operates more than 30 sites around the UK, with group turnover of £165m.
Mark Jones, managing director of EFS Global, said: “This deal is another step in our ongoing and ambitious growth strategy.”
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