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Stobart (logistics company)

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Eddie Stobart Limited is a British multimodal logistics company, with interests in road haulage, rail freight, deep sea and inland waterway transport systems and deep sea port, inland port and rail connected storage facilities, along with transport, handling and warehousing facilities in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Belgium.

Stobart
FormerlyEddie Stobart
Company typePrivate limited company
IndustryLogistics
Founded1970
FounderEddie Stobart
Headquarters
Warrington
,
England
Area served
Belgium, Ireland, United Kingdom
Revenue£587 million (2022)
£40 million (2022)
£7 million (2022)
ParentCulina Group
Websitewww.eddiestobart.com

Founded by Eddie Stobart in the end of the 1940s as an agricultural business in Cumbria, the company diversified into rail and other activities. It is a subsidiary of the Culina Group, a subsidiary of Müller.

History

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Former logo
 
DAF in the previous green, gold and dark red livery in February 2009
 
Mercedes-Benz Axor in December 2013
 
Scania R420 in August 2007
 
Volvo FH13 in July 2013

The business was started by Eddie Stobart in the late 1940s as an agricultural business in Cumbria. His son, Edward Stobart Junior, started working for his father's contracting business delivering agricultural material in the region. The first truck bought by Eddie Stobart in 1960 was painted post-office red and Brunswick green with yellow lettering. These colours were used for subsequent vehicles up to 1969. The company was incorporated as Eddie Stobart Ltd. on 23 November 1970 as a haulage firm, and Eddie Stobart controlled the organisation fully until 1973, when, at the age of 19, Edward Stobart took the place of CEO. In 1976, Eddie retired and Edward took full control of the road haulage business and the name Eddie Stobart Ltd in 1976, becoming Chairman.[1]

By 1985 Edward Stobart owned 26 vehicles.[2] The business was characterised by its Tautliner bodies. As part of a policy to maintain brand image, in the 1980s, the company had a policy that all drivers must wave back and honk their horn in the traditional truck-driver fashion when signalled by a passer-by or "Eddie spotter" to do so.[3]

On 1 April 1987, the company opened a depot in the English Midlands at Burnaston.[4]

By 2002 the company was experiencing financial difficulties caused by the fuel crisis. In 2001 the haulage business had posted its first loss,[5] with the fan club making more money than the haulage business.[5]

On 15 October 2003 it was announced that Eddie Stobart was to be sold to WA Developments, a civil engineering company that specialised in railway maintenance, based in Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria. At the time, Eddie Stobart was 55% owned by Edward Stobart and 45% owned by his brother William. WA Developments was 27% owned by William and 73% owned by William's school friend, brother-in-law and business partner Andrew Tinkler. In effect, therefore, William Stobart's stake in Eddie Stobart was reduced from 45% to 27%.[6]

After a series of takeovers, the Stobart company developed from a haulage company to a logistics company known as the Stobart Group, obtaining a stock market listing without an initial public offering through a reverse takeover of the property and ports company the Westbury Property Fund in 2007.[7][8]

In May 2007 Eddie Stobart was the subject of controversy when it reportedly offered bonuses to its Carlisle-based drivers to work in Livingston in Scotland, to transport goods for Tesco who were in dispute with their distribution centre drivers and facing disruption to their supply chain. The Stobart drivers refused to cross the Livingston picket line.[9]

On 10 March 2008 James Irlam Logistics, one of the largest independently owned road transport logistics providers in the UK was purchased for £60 million.[10]

On 1 April 2008 the company started its first dedicated operations in Ireland, Stobart Ireland, based in Dublin, following the acquisition of TDG's Irish trailer operations.[11]

On 14 September 2009, MP David Taylor opened the firm's Nestlé distribution centre in Bardon, Leicestershire, after a £7 million refurbishment. The new site previously owned by Innovate Logistics.[12] In July 2008 it was announced that the group had taken over the chilled and ambient goods distribution operations from the administrators of Innovate Logistics, saving the jobs of around 1,300 employees.[13]

The company completed the acquisition of Autologic, car-transporter firm, in August 2012.[14]

In March 2014 Stobart Group announced its intention to re-position itself as an support services business, with the announcement of the sale of its original transport and distribution business to DBay Advisors for £281 million: Dbay Advisors secured an indirect 49% stake in the logistics business.[15] However, Stobart Group retained the rights to the brand Eddie Stobart, licensing it out to Eddie Stobart Logistics.[16] In December 2019, DBay Advisors increased its indirect stake to 51%.[17]

On 21 May 2020, the company announced that it was acquiring the intellectual property rights to the "Eddie Stobart" and "Stobart" brand names for £10 million from Stobart Group to increase its brand awareness. The deal also included the merchandise business and the Stobart Members Club.[16] In February 2021 Eddie Stobart Logistics changed its name to Logistics Development Group.[18]

On 1 July 2021, Culina Group purchased the business.[19] In September 2021, Eddie Stobart was rebranded as Stobart.[20]

Ownership

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Between 2014 and 2021 the business was either wholly owned or partly owned by an investment entity known as Eddie Stobart Logistics: that entity changed its name to Logistics Development Group in February 2021.[21][22] DBAY Advisors (51%) and Logistics Development Group (49%) both sold their shareholdings to Culina Group in July 2021.[19]

Headquarters

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The company headquarters are located on the Stretton Green Distribution Park, Warrington.[23]

Business segments

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Eddie Stobart

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The largest part of the business is the original Eddie Stobart road haulage business with approximately 2,700 vehicles.[24]

Stobart Rail Freight

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Stobart Rail liveried Class 92 in June 2010

Eddie Stobart provided rail based services, both for freight as the Stobart Rail service, and (formerly) for passengers. For rail freight transport, the group owns warehousing at the rail connected Daventry International Railfreight Terminal, and owns the rail connected Widnes Intermodal Rail Depot.[25]

Stobart Ports

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O'Connor Group Management Ltd (trading as Stobart Ports) is the ports division. It owns a site in Widnes, Cheshire.[26][27]

Vehicle naming

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Karen Elizabeth name on a Mercedes-Benz Actros in 2013

Eddie Stobart had a long tradition of giving its trucks female names. The first four owned by Eddie Stobart were named after model "Twiggy" and singers "Tammy" (Wynette), "Dolly" (Parton) and "Suzi" (Quatro). The practice has been expanded to cover other Stobart vehicles, including their sponsored sports cars and the Stobart Rail locomotive "Eddie the Engine".[28]

With the expansion of the fleet, names have become harder to choose, and the fleet now features "Tuula Karina" (Finnish), "Angharad" (Welsh), "Anstice" and "Saoirse Erin" (Irish, meaning 'Free Ireland'). Currently the vehicles with the shortest and longest names are "Nia" and "Gladys Duchess of Overton", both on Scania R420s.[29]

There are some exceptions to the female naming convention (including Eddie the Engine). In 2005, in celebration of twenty years of Transformers, Stobart named a MAN tractor "Optimus Prime" and recently during the filming of a television series entitled Eddie Stobart: Trucks & Trailers a Volvo FH12 was christened "Valentino" after Valentino Rossi, the legendary Italian motorcycle racer, which caused a furore among spotters.[30]

The company has a static Volvo FH in the "Glasshouse" at their Crick depot which is named in honour of fusilier "Lee Rigby".[31]

After the acquisition by Culina Group, the naming of vehicles ceased.

Vehicle livery history

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The first truck bought by Eddie Stobart in 1960 was painted post office red and Brunswick Green, with yellow lettering.[32] With subsequent vehicles the dark red was changed to a regular red, and the dark green was changed to a mixture of dark and bright green.[33]

After the acquisition by Culina Group the livery was changed to white.[34]

Former operations

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Rail tours

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A Stobart Pullman train

The Stobart Group briefly entered the passenger railtour market, through the Stobart Pullman, which was a re-branding of the Hertfordshire Rail Tours business inherited from Victa Westlink Rail, a joint venture between its Westlink subsidiary and Victa Railfreight. Traction was provided by Direct Rail Services using Stobart branded Mark 3 carriages.[35] It was launched in February 2008, ceasing five months later.[36][37]

Fuel

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The Eddie Stobart fleet included a number of Volvo FM dual fuel trucks, running primarily on liquid natural gas, with diesel as a backup.[38]

Brand promotion

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A Subaru Impreza with Stobart sponsorship in September 2007

Eddie Stobart Promotions Ltd have various Brand Promotion services, such as the Stobart Members Club, Stobart Fest, Stobart Sponsorship and Stobart Motorsport. In 2005 and from 2007 to 2016 Eddie Stobart was recognised as a UK Superbrand by Superbrands Ltd.[39]

Stobart Members Club

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The tradition of naming Eddie Stobart tractor units with female names, combined with a very distinctive livery, has led members of the general public to "collect" sightings of Stobart lorries. This has occurred to the extent that a fan club was formed, eventually supported by the company which arranges depot tours and lorry rides, and sells model lorries etc.[40]

Sponsorship

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After the takeover of Eddie Stobart by WA Developments in 2004 and its subsequent listing on the London Stock Exchange in 2007, Stobart took to a high-profile sponsorship programme, including:

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Channel 5 and Princess Productions released a program dedicated to the Stobart group, Eddie Stobart: Trucks & Trailers, which first aired on 24 September 2010.[44]

The Stobart Group was featured on Top Gear in 1995, when presenter Tony Mason visited the company's Carlisle headquarters. Another appearance was made on Top Gear during the Reliant Robin rocket challenge. The Reliant was transported to the launch site on a flatbed Stobart truck to Richard Hammond and James May.[45]

A one-off TV show was produced for ITV4 called Eddie Stobart - Smart Truckers. Narrated by Paddy McGuinness, the show included the boss William Stobart doing deliveries to distribution centres and the firm's race horses.[46]

A Compact disc was produced called Eddie Stobart Trucking Songs. The CD features all the truckers' favourite rock songs and artists including Queen, Fleetwood Mac and Motörhead.[47]

The Somerset-based Scrumpy and Western band The Wurzels recorded a new song, "I wanna be an Eddie Stobart Driver".[48]

In 2001, an animated series called Steady Eddie was released on home video by Contender Entertainment Group. It was based on the books by Linda Jennings. The series features characters such as Steady Eddie, the protagonist, Oliver Overdrive, Steady Eddie's arch-rival, Jock the Tanker and Lorretta Lorry, Steady Eddie's friends, and Freddie Forklift, a forklift who works in the yard making deliveries to Steady Eddie.[49]

References

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  1. ^ "Edward Stobart died bankrupt, court documents show". BBC. 26 May 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  2. ^ "Edward Stobart". The Economist. 7 April 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  3. ^ Roach, Martin (2012). Eddie Stobart: The Ultimate Guide to the British Trucking Legends. Virgin Books. ISBN 978-0753540909.
  4. ^ Davies, Hunter (2001). The Eddie Stobart Story. London: HarperCollinsEntertainment. ISBN 0-00-711597-0.
  5. ^ a b "Where next for 'Steady Eddie' Stobart?". BBC News. 6 September 2006.
  6. ^ "Eddie Stobart sells up". BBC News. 15 October 2003. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  7. ^ "Eddie Stobart reverses on to stock market". The Guardian. 16 August 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  8. ^ "Eddie Stobart merges with Westbury and goes public". Commercial Motor. 15 August 2007.
  9. ^ "Socialist Worker report". Socialistworker.co.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  10. ^ Irlam brothers sell to rival Eddie Stobart The Daily Telegraph 14 March 2008
  11. ^ Eddie Stobart arrives in Ireland Archived 25 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine HGV Ireland, 5 April 2008
  12. ^ MP opens £7m Nestle hub This is Business East Midlands 15 September 2009
  13. ^ Stobart deal saves 1300 jobs at Innovate Logistics Yorkshire Post 1 July 2008
  14. ^ "Stobart Group in for Autologic with £12.4m cash offer". Motor Transport. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  15. ^ "Stobart family gets back behind the wheel of famous lorry company". The Guardian. 6 March 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  16. ^ a b "Eddie Stobart lorry company buys its own name". The Daily Telegraph. 21 May 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  17. ^ "Eddie Stobart saved from collapse after crunch vote". BBC News. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  18. ^ "Eddie Stobart changes name to Logistics Development Group". The Business Desk. 9 February 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  19. ^ a b "LDG disposes of Eddie Stobart Holding Company Interest". Inside Media. 1 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  20. ^ New look for Stobart trucks and trailers following Culina acquisition Trans.info 3 September 2021
  21. ^ "Eddie Stobart changes name to Logistics Development Group". The Business Desk. 9 February 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  22. ^ "Eddie Stobart Logistics says Eddie Stobart Group has benefited from exposure to FMCGs". Proactve Investors. 6 July 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  23. ^ "Eddie Stobart to create 730 new jobs with HQ expansion". Manchester Evening News. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  24. ^ "Eddie Stobart chief leaves as shares suspended". BBC News. 23 August 2019.
  25. ^ "Eddie Stobart plan could create 10,000 jobs". Liverpool Echo. 8 May 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  26. ^ "Luxury temporary headquarters for Stobart Ports". Construction Index. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  27. ^ "REIT picks up Stobart Widnes site". Place Northwest. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  28. ^ "Eddie the Engine". BBC News. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  29. ^ "Gladys Duchess of Overton". 5 April 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  30. ^ "Eddie Stobart names truck after murdered soldier Lee Rigby". Halifax Courier. 24 March 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  31. ^ "'Rare honour' as murdered soldier Lee Rigby has an Eddie Stobart lorry named after him". Manchester Evening News. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  32. ^ Roach, Martin (2012). Eddie Stobart: The Ultimate Guide to the British Trucking Legends. Virgin Books. ISBN 978-0753540909.
  33. ^ "Row of Parked Eddie Stobart Scania HGV R440 tractor units; trucks trailers & containers at Lorry Halt; Logo & Livery AEC Scania 440 haulage vehicles".
  34. ^ "New look for Stobart trucks and trailers following Culina acquisition".
  35. ^ Stobart and Westbury join forces on road and rail Rail issue 573 29 August 2007 page 16
  36. ^ DRS/Stobart launch new Pullmam train Today's Railways UK issue 76 April 2008 page 74
  37. ^ Stobart Rail pulls the plug on loss-making Pullman operation Rail Express issue 147 August 2008 page 4
  38. ^ ""Eddie Stobart: Trucks and Trailers - Series 2 Episode 5" at". Roadtransport.com. Archived from the original on 13 September 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  39. ^ "Superbrands video". Retrieved 1 June 2017.[permanent dead link]
  40. ^ "Ladies can jump the Stobart Club queue". Doncaster Free Press. 14 December 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  41. ^ "Stobart Group maps out road to success for Vikings". Halton Borough Council. Retrieved 7 December 2007.[dead link]
  42. ^ "Manor House Stables sponsored by Stobart Group". Manor House Stables. Archived from the original on 27 March 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
  43. ^ "RFL confirm Stobart as new Super League sponsor". Wakefield Express. 25 January 2012. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  44. ^ "Eddie Stobart Back on Screens For Series Three | General | News Releases | Media | Stobart Group". Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  45. ^ "Eddie Stobart Ltd Haulage Company - Old Top Gear". YouTube. 19 March 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  46. ^ "Eddie Stobart - Smart Truckers". Archived from the original on 17 January 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  47. ^ "Eddie Stobart Trucking Songs". All music. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  48. ^ "I wanna be an Eddie Stobart Driver". Picture Disc. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  49. ^ "Steady Eddie is ready to beat Bob". The Guardian. 19 September 2001. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
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