Pall-Ex and Fortec announce consolidation plan

Pall-Ex Group said the move marked the final phase of network consolidation and had been part of its long-term project since snapping up Fortec in 2020.

Introducing the core operating system Nexus was the start of this consolidation and then early this year it began aligning its commercial offering to both shareholder members and customers.

Group COO Barry Byers said: “When we acquired Fortec five years ago, our purpose was to gain market share, increase hub capacity and strengthen our network with quality members, all of which have been achieved.

“We are now entering the final phase of consolidation, simplifying our operational and commercial activities by operating as a unified force in the market.”

The merger follows Pall-Ex’s £80m investment in a new group HQ and flagship hub in Leicestershire and it has also invested £200,000 in upgrading the Watford Gap hub in preparation.

In order to boost speed, volumes and efficiency, it said that from 1 January 2026, all shareholder members would access the current hub in Leicestershire and the nearest regional hub – either Rochdale or Watford Gap.

Michelle Naylor, UK network MD, said: “Our long-term vision has always been to minimise operating costs and maximise efficiency while we evolve our customer offering to accelerate growth, and the time has come to deliver the next steps in our strategy to do so.

“This alignment within our group is about simplifying operations and creating exciting new growth opportunities for our existing shareholder members, whilst also attracting quality transport organisations to our network.”