Knights of Old is to merge with the Mainland Group creating a business with sales approaching £50m.
It will be known as the Knights of Old Group and will have 200,000 sq ft of warehousing, 400 staff and 200 trucks.
The two companies will continue to operate as they are with the individual business units looking to integrate during the coming year.
Ian Beattie, managing director of Knights of Old said: “It is our intention to offer a wider and more substantial portfolio to the group’s client base by seeking integration opportunities during 2012.”
“The group will be better placed for growth and progression in what is a very competitive market. We have combined resources such as knowledge, equipment and facilities which will help the group reach the next level.”
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Lorries from both firms will run as Knights of Old Group
Mike Bacon, managing director of Mainland Group will become commercial director of the new group. He said: “We will offer enhanced services to our clients, but with the same shared values. It will create new opportunities for us which would not previously have been possible.”
Paul Abbott of Knights of Old will become logistics director of the group.
Knights of Old can trace its history back to 1865 when William Knight began transporting goods using a horse and cart. In 1918 the company began to use motorised vehicles. The company became Knights of Old Limited in 1957. It moved to its current site in 2000.
Northampon-based Mainland Group was launched in 1973 and now has 65 vehicles in Mainland, SMC Express, Eurocontinental and contracted customer branded livery.
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Paul Abbott, Mike Bacon and Ian Beattie at the group’s head office in Kettering