PRESS RELEASE
Palletline is pleased to announce the acquisition of Fast Forward Distribution Ltd, its long-standing member based in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire. Fast Forward began in 1988 and has been a member of Palletline since the network’s founding year in 1992 and completed a deal to sell its business to Palletline on Friday 14th December 2018.
The acquisition is Palletline’s fourth in as many years and is further evidence of the network’s policy of ensuring continuity of service across the UK, but in particular, areas on the geographic periphery of domestic distribution. Fast Forward has been a very effective and loyal member of Palletline for the past 26 years and with the majority of its freight being associated with the Palletline network, then clearly the purchase makes sense for both businesses.
Husband and wife team, Mark and Anne Henness, started the business with just a Kawasaki motorbike and a Ford Escort van under the Enterprise Allowance Scheme and now 30 years later they decided it’s time to retire and without a next generation to take over they felt Palletline was the only option for securing the right future for the business.
Speaking about the sale Mark Henness commented, “Back in 1992 we were delivering car parts to a warehouse situated next to the newly formed Palletline business, and through a chance meeting with the then Palletline MD we were invited to join the network. At the time I recall thinking well it’s new, but we’ll give it a go as we’re going to Birmingham regularly anyway, and from then on Palletline became our long-term partner and helped our business develop as the network grew”.
Graham Leitch, Group Managing Director of Palletline added, “Fast Forward have been an integral part of our network family since our founding year and although it’s with great sadness we see the departure of the Henness’s we are extremely proud to have had the opportunity to acquire the business and thus ensure it remains a valuable Palletline member. In line with all our acquisitions we will continue to run the business using the existing staff and local brand, after all it is a successful business in its own right and all we will have changed in real terms is the legal ownership”.
Mark Henness added, “It will be business as usual at Fast Forward today and Anne and I wish Palletline and the Fast Forward team the best of success, we reflect back on great times during which we saw many changes in our industry and in particular the evolution of IT which has forever changed the industry for the better”.
ENDS