Abbey Logistics Liquid Tanker

Abbey Logistics Group will close its general haulage and pallet network business to concentrate on the tanker business where it first made its name.

In a statement today (12 September), the firm, which was originally known as Abbey Road Tanks, said it had grown rapidly in the last two years through its core tanker business, including headline making deals such as British Sugar.

It added that it had secured significant contracts in the food, polymers, and non-hazardous chemicals markets, and expanded the range of value-added services it can provide to include warehousing, drumming and reprocessing.

Abbey said general haulage and Pallet-Track pallet work currently accounts for 7% of group turnover, which in its most recently published year (2016) was £45m.

The general haulage and pallet network - which it joined in 2015 - businesses will close by the end of October.

Abbey employs 68 people - drivers and operational staff - across the general haulage and palletised division.

The company said it would now enter a period of consultation with all those affected by the announcement to discuss opportunities for transferring to Abbey’s tanker divisions.

Steve Granite, chief executive of Abbey Logistics Group, said: “We continue to make strong progress in our road tanker business in the food sector. In addition, we have grown our customer base and the range of services we provide to new markets, including polymers, minerals and non-hazardous chemicals.

“This closure enables us to provide a greater focus on the markets and customers where our core skills are strongest and we can make a positive effect and bring the most value to our customers.

“We hope to transfer colleagues from the general haulage and palletised division into our tankers business to the greatest extent possible, and Abbey will support colleagues through this period of change and provide as much information as possible about future employment opportunities.”

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