McBurney Transport in £140m sale to Danish firm DFDS

McBurney Transport employs more than 800 people and operates hundreds of lorries

DFDS, the Danish logistics company, has agreed to buy Ballymena-based McBurney Transport for just under £140m.

McBurney Transport is one of Northern Ireland's largest haulage firms, with over 800 employees and operates about 400 trucks and 1,360 trailers.

DFDS chief executive Torben Carlsen said the takeover would "greatly enhance" the firm's operation on the island of Ireland.

The completion of the deal will be subject to regulatory approval.

McBurney Transport was founded in 1965 by Norman McBurney.

Its core business is the transport of full and part-load trailers between the island of Ireland and the UK by road and ferry.

'Considerable scale'

It operates from eight locations: three in Northern Ireland, one in Ireland, three in England and one in Scotland.

In Liverpool it has a 25,000-pallet cold store, which facilitates the transport of cold chain goods, such as food, throughout the UK.

Operating under the name Bondelivery, McBurney also owns a 10,000sq m ambient warehouse in Northern Ireland focused on fulfilment for the retail sector and last-mile delivery on the island of Ireland.

Mr Carlsen said the deal would bring "considerable scale to our existing operations in the region".

DFDS has facilities in Belfast, Dublin, Cork and Rosslare.

Norman McBurney said he was "certain the wider market coverage, including access to DFDS' extensive transport network, will benefit our many longstanding customers".

He added: "Our many loyal and dedicated employees will be comfortable and happy after this transaction."