Stobart selling Eddie Stobart

Stobart selling Eddie Stobart

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10 Pence Short

Original Poster:

32,880 posts

224 months

Thursday 6th March 2014
quotequote all
Interesting to see Stobart group are taking the haulage co private and installing Willie as CEO.

There is a court of appeal decision due this month on whether Tinkler should face a trial for contempt, not to mention the decision over Carlisle Airport from the recent judicial review.

I wonder if these potential issues have formed part of the decision making?

mph1977

12,467 posts

175 months

Saturday 8th March 2014
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splitting up copmany groups into seperate legal personas is not unknown - it;s a way to protect different parts of the organisations

iirc the family who owned the company my dad worked for did this there were a handful of different companies a holding co, the farms business, the Veg business, the poultry processing business., the fleet etc etc ...

MrC986

3,561 posts

198 months

Sunday 9th March 2014
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The story as portrayed in the Times was that they are selling to Schenker to reduce the £200m debt in the business. ...if it happens, it will be sad to see another UK company sold to an overseas majority shareholder. Will the 'spotters' still be as keen if this happens?!

a4cabrio

919 posts

166 months

Thursday 13th March 2014
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Shame they don't go tits up, they represent everything that is wrong with the haulage industry

Tomo1971

1,157 posts

164 months

Saturday 15th March 2014
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a4cabrio said:
Shame they don't go tits up, they represent everything that is wrong with the haulage industry
Heard a lot of stories about their business practices especially on how they managed to win large contracts, squeeze the smaller operators out and then buy their fleet at a knock down price when they got into trouble.

Not sure how true they were

mph1977

12,467 posts

175 months

Saturday 15th March 2014
quotequote all
Tomo1971 said:
a4cabrio said:
Shame they don't go tits up, they represent everything that is wrong with the haulage industry
Heard a lot of stories about their business practices especially on how they managed to win large contracts, squeeze the smaller operators out and then buy their fleet at a knock down price when they got into trouble.

Not sure how true they were
The same economies of scale that cause the same issues in every other business

the UK haulage industry has a folk memory bias against large operators thanks to the post war BRS period ...

Justin Cyder

12,624 posts

156 months

Wednesday 26th March 2014
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mph1977 said:
the UK haulage industry has a folk memory bias against large operators thanks to the post war BRS period ...
Yet you don't continually hear the same brick bats lobbed at Norbert or DHL or even Butt for that matter. Stobart always worked to the ethical lowest common denominator & those of us who've been in the business a while have always known this. I wouldn't shed a tear if it went wrong for them but I also know they have a business forever these days. All they have to do is not cock it up.

anonymous-user

61 months

Wednesday 26th March 2014
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If they do sort it they might have finally managed to deliver something on time, bet the people who are doing the deal aren't on zero hours contracts like the drivers!
As said above, you don't hear the same horror stories about conditions with other national and international employers who a far bigger.
Not sure they do have a "business forever" though, all I have heard for the last 12 months when at Tescos DC's is that they are getting kicked out over work practices and strikes.Sure enough they are not operating the flagship DC at Reading, all in house. I have now seen plenty of other operators pulling Tesco trailers and now see Brit European doing the supermarket fuel deliveries so let's see. They have a massive amount of kit and staff involved in Tesco, maybe the split reduces risk to other parts of the empire should the big haulage and logistics contracts fall apart??

Justin Cyder

12,624 posts

156 months

Wednesday 26th March 2014
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Hmm, maybe a bit glib of me to say they have a business for ever, but I mean they're a player now in a way they weren't 20 years ago, nothing works as well as critical mass but of course they could go skint as much as anyone else could. I just think they won't, not in the short term at least.

mph1977

12,467 posts

175 months

Wednesday 26th March 2014
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Justin Cyder said:
Hmm, maybe a bit glib of me to say they have a business for ever, but I mean they're a player now in a way they weren't 20 years ago, nothing works as well as critical mass but of course they could go skint as much as anyone else could. I just think they won't, not in the short term at least.
perhaps a bit of the M+S syndrome had got into ES - believing your own hype and all that ...

bigwheel

1,625 posts

221 months

Tuesday 6th May 2014
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MrC986 said:
The story as portrayed in the Times was that they are selling to Schenker to reduce the £200m debt in the business. ...if it happens, it will be sad to see another UK company sold to an overseas majority shareholder. Will the 'spotters' still be as keen if this happens?!
So what's the upshot?
I've heard 51% of Stobart is now owned by somebody else. Anyone know who it is?

I've also recently seen Stobart trucks on the A1 doing some "real" General Haulage, chained loads of steel sections on someone else's flat trailers.

finlo

3,840 posts

210 months

Wednesday 7th May 2014
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bigwheel said:
So what's the upshot?
I've heard 51% of Stobart is now owned by somebody else. Anyone know who it is?

I've also recently seen Stobart trucks on the A1 doing some "real" General Haulage, chained loads of steel sections on someone else's flat trailers.
Isle of Man investment firm Douglasbay Capital.

finlo

3,840 posts

210 months

Wednesday 7th May 2014
quotequote all
bigwheel said:
So what's the upshot?
I've heard 51% of Stobart is now owned by somebody else. Anyone know who it is?

I've also recently seen Stobart trucks on the A1 doing some "real" General Haulage, chained loads of steel sections on someone else's flat trailers.
Isle of Man investment firm Douglasbay Capital.