Wincanton has agreed to buy e-commerce and fulfilment specialist Cygnia Logistics Limited, from Crescent Capital.
The logistics giant has also appointed Carl Moore (pictured), former Clipper Logistics chief commercial officer, as MD of Wincanton’s digital and e-fulfilment division.
Cygnia, which boasts a range of blue chip clients including BrewDog, Moonpig, Molton Brown and Whittard of Chelsea, provides high-volume order fulfilment, returns and carrier management services and employs around 700 employees across four sites across the UK.
Wincanton said this acquisition is part of its continuing drive into the e-commerce sector and represents the group’s latest investment in its growing digital and e-fulfilment business division. It follows the group’s major investment earlier this year into its state-of-the-art, automated e-fulfilment facility in Rockingham, Northamptonshire.
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Under the deal, Cygnia will keep its brand name and get access to Wincanton’s scale and expertise, including the Rockingham facility, whilst Wincanton will gain access to new growth opportunities in the mid-market sector and enhance its e-commerce capabilities. Cygnia will join Wincanton’s digital and e-fulfilment business division.
Carl Moore, who will take up his new role in January 2022, has spent the last 13 years in a range of senior roles with Clipper Logistics.
James Wroath, chief executive of Wincanton, said: "This acquisition is a significant step forward for our e-commerce proposition and I am delighted to welcome our new colleagues at Cygnia. This is a business with a fantastic reputation for supporting many of the UK’s most successful brands, underpinned by a focus on operational excellence which will complement Wincanton’s customer-focused approach.
“The transaction is perfectly aligned with our strategy to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the shift to online retail and will position us well to benefit from many of the changes we are seeing in the broader logistics sector. Wincanton has long been a leader in supporting many of the UK’s biggest brands and now, together with Cygnia, we will be able to further extend our reach to fast-growing, mid-market e-commerce customers.”