Japanese firm Nichirei Logistics Group has completed the acquisition of temperature-controlled UK logistics company Norish.
The third party multi-temperature warehousing and logistics business, which provides services to importers, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and distributors, is incorporated in Ireland and operates in the UK from six sites at Bury St Edmunds, Wrexham, Brierley Hill, Braintree, Gillingham and Lympne.
It provides around 50,000 temperature controlled racked pallet spaces and offers storage, bonded storage, handling, de-vanning, picking and packing, cross-docking, and distribution with freezing and other temperature-controlled services available from the cold stores.
The acquisition of Norish is part of wider plans by Nichirei Logistics Group to expand into the cold store logistics business in the UK.
The Tokyo-based group is already active in the UK through its European subsidiaries Thermotraffic UK and temperature controlled storage firm Kevin Hancock Limited.
Rob Haesakkers, MD of Thermotraffic, is the new chief executive of Norish, whilst Kevin Hancock has been appointed as chief operations officer.
Haesakkers said: “We welcome the Norish team to the Nichirei Logistics Group and are very much looking forward to the future.
“We are convinced that the combination of Norish, Kevin Hancock Limited and Thermotraffic UK will enable us to offer a one-stop solution to our customers. Besides, we share the same values where people, quality, a can-do mentality, and business partnerships are key.
“There are great synergy effects, which will boost all our businesses but most important, will give our customers that single point of personal contact together with a high-quality and customer focus level.
“It is clear for us that by joining our forces we will be the preferred partner for the food industry.”
He added: “Essentially any customer will now be able to take product from anywhere in the world through to storage and final delivery in the United Kingdom but also the EU continent, using only one company for their entire supply chain.”
