News

West Midlands-based Sheldon & Clayton (S&C) Group has continued its acquisition spree with the purchase of the UK division of Italian groupage operator Barbiero. In January, the West Bromwich firm told Motor Transport it was looking to expand the 30-year-old business by embarking on a  "growth by acquisition and merger strategy" (MT 29 January).

The purchase of Barbiero UK, which is to be rebranded as Sheldon Clayton European, marks the group's fifth acquisition in the past 10 months. Chairman Dave Sheldon tells MT: "The acquisition came about after close working relations between our companies for many years, and fitted well with our international division."

John Croft, MD of Sheldon & Clayton International, says the first eight weeks of merged operations have run smoothly.

"The Italian business has linked in well with our UK trunking routes via our Birmingham hub, which cover Ireland, Scotland and England.We will also be investing heavily in developing the Italian routes," he adds.

As well as being on the acquisition trail, S&C is investing a further £1.8m into its UK hub and head office after receiving planning permission to expand the current  buildings.

Group MD Stephen Pollock says: "It is vital for the group that our growth is operationally planned and controlled; to that end, the group inevitably requires more ground space and warehousing. The additional purchase of 2.5 acres of land we can join with our existing property will allow a further 90,000ft2 of warehousing to be built and allow parking for additional vehicles we need in the fleet.

"Growth by acquisition and joint venture partnership remains our core strategy to grow in the challenging times. We remain lightly geared and ready for more investment when the right opportunity comes along," he adds.