Danish logistic giant DFDS has followed up on its September 2022 acquisition of Lucey Transport Logistics in Cork with the £138m purchase of McBurney Transport Group in Ballymena.

McBurney is focused on moving cold chain and dry goods in trailers by road and ferry between Ireland and the UK. Warehousing, distribution, and other logistics services are also provided.

McBurney operates from three locations in Northern Ireland, one in Ireland, three in England and one in Scotland. In Liverpool, McBurney operates a 25,000-pallet cold store, which facilitates the transport of cold chain goods throughout the UK.

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

McBurney annually transports over 100,000 trailers across the Irish Sea. The company employs c.800 people and operates around 400 trucks and 1,360 trailers, of which 955 are refrigerated trailers. The majority of the equipment is owned.

In Association with

DFDS, listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen, has annual turnover of €2.4bn, operates ferry and logistics divisions, and launched a freight ferry route between Rosslare and Dunkirk in 2021.

The company says it has 10,000 freight customers, and employs c.11,000 people on ferries, terminals, distribution centres, and in offices across 20 countries.

CEO Torben Carlsen commented: “The acquisition of McBurney Transport Group is aligned with DFDS’ strategic focus on cold chain logistics.

“It overlaps with existing activities in the region, and offers opportunities to connect with other parts of DFDS’ pan-European transport network.

“The acquisition greatly enhances the scope of our customer offerings on the island of Ireland and in the UK, particularly towards the resilient food sector. It also brings considerable scale to our existing operations in the region.”

McBurney founder Norman McBurney stated: “I am confident that our many loyal and dedicated employees will be comfortable and happy after this transaction.”

Closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory approval.

According to Renatus, DFDS is being advised on the deal by law firm Arthur Cox, with Lynsey Mallon, Lois Arbuthnot, Ceardha Morgan, Patrick Loughridge and Chris Fullerton in the firm's Belfast office, and Maura McLaughlin, Patrick Horan, Daniel Price, Zara Carpenter, Ronan Scanlan and Ruth McCormack in Dublin.