Abbey has grown rapidly in the last two years through its core tanker business, securing significant contracts in the food, polymers, and non-hazardous chemicals markets. The group has also expanded the range of value-added services it can provide to include warehousing, drumming and reprocessing.
The general haulage and Pallet Track division, which contributes 7% of group revenue, is not part of Abbey’s long-term objectives, which focus on the development of its core road tanker and value-added services businesses. As a result, the company has taken the decision to close the division by the end of October.
Abbey employs 68 people across the general haulage and palletised division, which includes drivers and operational staff. The company will now enter a period of consultation with all those affected by this announcement to discuss opportunities for transferring to Abbey’s tanker divisions.
Steve Granite, Chief Executive of Abbey Logistics Group, said:
“We continue to make strong progress in our road tanker business in the food sector. In addition, we have grown our customer base and the range of services we provide to new markets, including polymers, minerals and non-hazardous chemicals.
“This closure enables us to provide a greater focus on the markets and customers where our core skills are strongest and we can make a positive impact and bring the most value to our customers.
“We hope to transfer colleagues from the general haulage and palletised division into our tankers business to the greatest extent possible, and Abbey will support colleagues through this period of change and provide as much information as possible about future employment opportunities.”