Northumberland transport and warehouse specialist Dedicated Transport Solutions (DTS) has been snapped by private equity firm Winch & Co.
The undisclosed deal for Cramlington-based DTS - providers of warehousing, time-critical deliveries and abnormal load haulage - will see Leeds-based Winch & Co also take control of the firm's 250,000 sqft Nelson Park West base.
It follows Winch & Co's acquisition of Loughbrough-based Eclipse Distribution Solutions - part of a plan to acquire five logistics businesses for its portfolio.
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Winch & Co was founded by South Yorkshire entrepreneur Nathan Winch, who sold his first business in 2017. The business, which is based in the centre of Leeds and which has 100 full-time employees, invests in UK companies operating in FMCG, industrial and service-based industries, as well as deploying dynamic growth capital.
Mr Winch said: “This latest acquisition takes us another step closer in our goal to purchase five transport businesses, and DTS now takes its place alongside Eclipse Distribution Solutions whom we purchased last October.
“If there’s anything the Covid pandemic taught us, it’s the importance of logistics and warehousing. Without operators such as DTS and Eclipse, the nation would have ground to a halt.
“Whilst both these businesses are based in different parts of the country – DTS in the North East and Eclipse in the Midlands - they both operate nationally, and both have on-site warehousing facilities.”
He added: “DTS has plenty of potential, and for us it’s an exciting prospect. When we acquire a business, we do so to increase its profitability via investment and different ways of working.
“The previous owners built a solid business, and our job is to now drive it forward and take it to its next level.”
Winch & Co was advised by Ison Harrison Solicitors in Leeds. DTS was advised by Lupton Fawcett.
Winch & Co's portfolio also includes investments in steel and mining company Evraz plc, biotech firm Aptamer Group plc and building contractor TR1 Construction, among other businesses.
