Shropshire Star

Telford logistics firm taken over with bosses promising jobs are safe

A logistics company from Shropshire employing 100 has been taken over by a national firm.

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Maiden's transport depot at Telford

Bosses say there will be no job losses after the acquisition of Maiden's of Telford, which is based at Donnington Wood.

The deal is the seventh to have been struck by Kinaxia Logistics since it was formed in 2012, and is expected to help strengthen the brand in the Midlands and Wales. It already owns operations in Stalybridge and Macclesfield in Cheshire, and Rugby in Warwickshire but has not previously invested in Shropshire. The figure paid has not been disclosed.

Maiden's itself was formed in 1931, and now works across three areas of business – general haulage, pallet distribution, and warehousing and storage. It now runs a fleet of 75 commercial vehicles and 140 trailers.

Its distinctive red lorries have become a familiar sight on the roads of Shropshire.

John Maiden, managing director of Maiden’s of Telford, said: "We are very pleased to be joining Kinaxia Logistics as this gives us a great opportunity to maintain the strong family values and customer service levels that have been developed over the last 86 years whilst providing a secure future for the business.

"We are excited about growing our business within the wider Kinaxia family.”

The latest acquisition takes the total number of staff employed at Kinaxia to 900, with a total turnover of £75 million a year.

It operates 450 vehicles and has 850,000 square foot of warehouse space.

Macclesfield-based Kinaxia was formed in 2012 with the acquisition of Bay Freight Limited, since when it has acquired a total of seven companies including Maiden's.

As with previous Kinaxia acquisitions, the company said all staff will be retained and it Maiden’s is expected to grow from its current site, but with additional resources from its new parent company.

Kinaxia logistics director Peter Fields added: “We are proud to welcome Maiden’s of Telford to Kinaxia and anticipate that their distinctive family culture and established levels of customer service will fit perfectly with the decentralised way that Kinaxia operates.

"John and his team will actively be involved in helping develop best practice and grow our business through providing outstanding customer service and efficient, professional operations.

"Our aim is to build a flexible and efficient, service-focused UK haulage and warehousing group and it is anticipated that Kinaxia will make further investments in the next 12 months."