Brabners advises on Yorkshire transport business's purchase by national warehouse and distribution company

A Yorkshire-based haulage business has been purchased by a national warehousing and logistics company in a deal supported by leading independent law firm Brabners.

Expect Distribution, headquartered in Bradford, operates a range of services including warehousing, contract logistics and consolidation services for Amazon vendors.

It employs around 450 people and its clients include household cleaning brand Astonish, Card Factory and a number of pharmaceutical companies.

It has purchased Longs of Leeds, a family-owned haulage business which can trace its roots in Leeds back to 1918 and provides warehousing and distribution services, with a fleet of over 100 trucks.

The acquisition provides an exit for Longs of Leeds’ owners Andrew and Stephen Long, while allowing Expect Distribution to continue its expansion in the Yorkshire area.

Matthew Kilner, managing director, Expect Distribution said: “Longs of Leeds is a respected name in the industry and we’re excited to welcome the company into the Expect Distribution family. This acquisition not only strengthens our capabilities but also reinforces our commitment to providing flexible, high-quality logistics solutions to businesses across the UK.”

Andrew Long, exiting managing director, Longs of Leeds added: “The time is right to pass the business onto new owners who can take it forward and into its next chapter. I believe the business will continue to grow and thrive under its new owners.”

The corporate and commercial property teams at Brabners provided legal advice to Longs of Leeds which included structuring the deal, advising the owners throughout the transaction as well as supporting the transfer of commercial property leases.

The team was led by Brett Cooper, a partner in the corporate team at Brabners’ Lancashire office and an expert in the road transport sector, who joined the firm in May. 

Brett was supported by Chris Beesley, Megan Dent, Mariam Shah and Nikki Whittle.

Brett Cooper, partner, Brabners said: “Mergers and acquisitions are on the rise in the transport and logistics sector, with many national and international operators seeing the advantage of growing through acquisition and the benefits this brings through from economies of scale.

“This acquisition is a great example of that. Longs of Leeds is a quality family business with an experienced team and strong customer base. The deal will allow the company to thrive under new ownership while supporting Expect Distribution’s continued market share growth in Yorkshire and strengthening its national networks.”

The sellers were also advised by SJL Advisory and Azets provided corporate finance advice.

Nick Barker, partner – corporate finance, Azets, said: “It was a pleasure to work alongside Stuart of SJL Advisory and the excellent team at Brabners in securing Longs of Leeds a new home. It is a great business with a rich family heritage, and I wish everyone involved every success in the future.”

Clarion provided legal advice to the buyers.