Netherlands-based Agro Merchants Group has bought Motor Transport Award winner Grocontinental for an undisclosed sum.
Established in 1941, Grocontinental offers cold storage and logistics services to the food industry with a particular expertise in the dairy and meat sectors.
It is located in Whitchurch, Shropshire, and operates from a 35-acre complex with a warehouse capacity of 197,000 pallets.
The business offers a range of specialist services including cheese cutting, blast freezing, ingredient sorting, de-boxing and reboxing, shrink-wrapping, bar coding, labelling and export packing
David Grocott and Linda Grocott, third generation owners of Grocontinental, will continue to lead the business as Joint MDs.
Carlos Rodriguez, CEO of Agro Merchants Group, said: “When we founded Agro in 2013, I quickly identified Grocontinental as the ideal potential partner in England to join our network.
“This is not just due to its market leading position, high-quality assets, and deep commodity expertise. I was most drawn to the culture and values of the Grocott family, their commitment to the local community, and the long-standing relationships with customers and employees.”
Linda Grocott and David Grocott said: “Joining Agro Merchants Group is great news for Grocontinental. We are very proud of the progression and success we have achieved over the years and now we have an excellent opportunity to take the company into a new and exciting era.
“To move Grocontinental into a larger group is not a decision we have taken lightly. We have been very impressed with Agro’s ambitions, the strength and depth of its structure and expertise; and its respect for our 76-year family-owned business heritage.”
Agro purchased Ireland's Castlecool in 2014 followed by Northern Ireland’s Sawyers Group in 2015.
Agro Merchants Group operates 63 facilities in 11 countries in Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia Pacific. It has 264 million ft² and 975,000 pallets of capacity across the group.
Ray Grocott, son of the business's founder Nellie Grocott, is a member of the Motor Transport Hall of Fame. The company was named Motor Transport Haulier of the Year in 2011.
