Gordon Leslie Group has acquired Glasgow-based warehousing and bonded storage business Benchmark Packaging for an undisclosed sum.
The deal will boost Gordon Leslie’s turnover more than 40%, from about £7m a year to £10m, with headcount increasing from 50 employees to 110.
MD Craig Leslie told MotorTransport.co.uk that the group had been expanding its warehousing division over the past few years as it looked to diversify and add to its road haulage, which has been its mainstay for 40 years. He added that the established market position Benchmark held for its specialist bonded storage and contract packing services, primarily for the whisky industry, gave the group a foot in the door to a tough sector to break into without proven history. “Opportunities like this don't come up often,” said Leslie.
Leslie said the new business will generate a significant amount of haulage revenue between suppliers and customers. “Where we cross over is that it doesn’t have any fleet vehicles of its own – it subcontracts to people like us. We can now say to customers we are controlling the whole operation and can create a good package for them,” he added.
Benchmark will continue to operate as a separate business, continuing with its well-known branding.
Gordon Leslie runs a 20-strong fleet of artics and rigids, along with 16 trailers, and anticipates adding a couple of extra vehicles next year to boost capacity following the acquisition.
It will also rebrand some of its trailers to carry the Benchmark name, which will be the first time the warehousing business has featured on a livery.
