Wincanton's European buy
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• Unigate's Wincanton transport subsidiary has started its drive into Europe with the acquisition of Spronsen, the Dutch perishable foods and plants distributor, which does much of its business under the Transflora title. It was this tag that first drew Wincanton's attention to Spionsen.
"We made a decision to name our UK plant distribution business Transflora and discovered that Spronsen was also using it. We looked at the company and targeted it for acquisition," says Wincanton's managing director, David Yeomans.
Spronsen runs a fleet of 100 temperature-controlled vehicles from its base near Rotterdam. It has eight bases in Holland as well as depots in Belgium, France, Spain and Sweden. The international flavour of Spronsen, with its air delivery business to Japan and its close links with Air France, persuaded Wincanton it was an ideal European launching pad.
"Wincanton is using Spronsen as the base for its European expansion," explains Yeomans. "1 think there is a lot of growth to come in the refrigerated transportation field and with the coming of 1992 we want to be in place on the Continent to take advantage."
Unigate chairman John Clement fully backs the takeover: "Spronsen will be a valuable addition to our Wincanton Group. The acquisition represents a significant first step into Europe prior to the removal of trade barriers in 1992," he says.