Kinaxia buys Nelson Distribution as parent company KNP Logistics files for administration

Kinaxia Logistics has acquired the trade and assets of KNP Logistics Group subsidiary Nelson Distribution after the group, which includes Knights of Old and Steve Porter transport, filed for administration late last week, after suffering the fall out from a major cyber attack.

Nelson Distribution, which is based in Belper, Derbyshire, merged with Knights of Old in 2016 and generates annual turnover of £26m. In its latest results to 31 May 2022 it reported an operating profit of £990,227, down slightly from £1m in the previous year.

The acquisition sees Kinaxia take over Nelson Distribution’s 117-strong fleet, premises and customer base, with all 170 staff being transferred to Kinaxia under TUPE arrangements. Kinaxia said Nelson Distribution will continue an “uninterrupted” service to its customers.

Simon Hobbs, chief executive of Kinaxia, said: “We are pleased to have reached agreement to acquire the trading and assets of Nelson Distribution.

“It’s a good business and an excellent fit for Kinaxia. We share the same values, and Nelson Distribution is based in a good strategic location for our group.

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“We are pleased to welcome the entire Nelson workforce and customer base to the Kinaxia family of businesses, and look forward to working with them and continuing to provide their customers with the great service they have been used to.”

Speaking to MT, Hobbs added: “Nelson Distribution is inline with the Kinaxia model. We already worked closely with the company through Partnerlink so knew it well and it is similar to the other family-led businesses we have bought, with values and ethos very similar to the Kinaxia model.

He added: “I feel very sorry for the staff at Knights of Old and Porters. We did not have sufficient time to look at the assets of those businesses. We are putting out a notice later today calling for those staff to get in touch with the Kinaxia, and if we can recruit them in anyway then we will.”

Macclesfield-based Kinaxia employs more than 1,600 staff nationwide with a fleet of over 850 vehicles transporting goods for the retail, leisure, food and drink and manufacturing sectors.

The group also has 2.7 million sq ft of warehouse facilities nationwide, offering contract packing, e-fulfilment, returns management, storage services and a complete distribution service.