RW Simpson sells South-East arm to Fresh Direct

Sheffield haulier RW Simpson Transport has sold its South-East arm to Kent-based Fresh Service in order to concentrate on expanding business in the North.

The Ecclesfield company has sold its Paddock Wood and Sheerness depots to Fresh Service for an undisclosed sum, with all 30 employees transferring across. RW Simpson will now deliver goods to chilled distributor Fresh Service, and trunk return loads for it to the North.

Dave Simpson, MD at RW Simpson, says: “We are based in Sheffield and run another depot in Peterborough, so it was hard to manage the other sites. Fresh Service can better control operations in the South. The sale also means we can work together as transport partners, rather than competitors.”

Brian Porter, MD at Fresh Service, says: “There will be significant advantages. With larger volumes we can make fewer deliveries [by consolidating both firms’ deliveries] or offer earlier delivery times.”

Meanwhile RW Simpson says it has been increasingly busy in the North since acquiring Rotherham-based Hallam Express, the pre-pack successor to Hallam Freight, in April.

RW Simpson took over Hallam’s membership in The Pallet Network (TPN), delivering to Barnsley, Doncaster and Leeds.

Simpson says: “We are keeping Hallam Express as a trading name operating on our premises. This is our first time in a pallet network, so it’s been a challenge with such an influx of volume, but I am confident we can grow steadily in the north.”