culina great bear deal

Culina Group has bought Great Bear Distribution to create a £400m-plus company.

The group has a combined workforce of about 5,000, nearly 7.5 million sq ft of warehousing and a joint fleet of more than 600 vehicles. The deal, the terms of which were not disclosed, adds Great Bear’s 32 facilities to Culina’s 18 in the UK.

Thomas van Mourik, chief executive of Culina, which has a turnover of £240m, said both businesses were complementary - “an excellent fit”.

He said: “We are acquiring some excellent contracts, facilities and people. This move significantly expands our ambient network and will enable us to benefit from synergies and efficiencies that will improve our service offering.”