Bedfords continues national ambition with acquisition of partner

The acquisition is part of Bedfords’ strategy to expand its business network across the UK.

LinQ Alliance is a national logistics support company which provides supply chain management services.

The network brings together a group of the country’s leading regional transport and distribution companies, and will remain under the same name, managing its existing networks and assets.

A Bedfords Transport company spokesman said: “As a member shareholder of the logistics network, Bedfords decided to invest fully in LinQ Alliance.”

Steff Pfadenhauer, the managing director of Bedfords, which has 100 staff, said: “It is a logical move for us as we continue our move from being a regionally recognised haulier to a national one.

“We doubled in size last year and hope to do so again within the next two or three years, and the purchase of LinQ Alliance is part of that growth strategy.

“We have been members and shareholders in LinQ Alliance from the start, recognising the worth of working together with like-minded companies to provide cost effective supply chain management services.

“We will continue the good work of LinQ Alliance, servicing customers and working with partners as before.” Bedfords was formed in 1927 by Nelson Bedford, who operated within the clothing and textile industry and provided deliveries to Leeds, Huddersfield and Brighouse in West Yorkshire.

By the end of the 1950s the business had quadrupled in size.

The business continued to grow under the leadership of Ronald, Nelson’s son, and by 1968 had expanded to 20 vehicles.

In the 1970s, the company had expanded into the print indus- try.

Today, Bedfords operates a large base fleet and can deliver anything from a small parcel to a 44-tonne load.

Its annual turnover is around £25m.

Bedfords recently added eight Volvo trucks to its fleet of vehicles to help it operate more efficiently.