Leeds business contains its growth with acquisition

LEEDS business Ace Container Services has bought up a city rival.

The acquisition of Northern Containers doubles its hire fleet of 400 units to 800. Both businesses have an international offering.

The 17 year-old business Ace Containers expanded its Stourton site last year to include a satellite yard to enable repairs and conversions, and Northern will add its workshop facilities to this offering.

This marks a return for John Hanson, who formed Ace Containers in 1999 having spent his working life in the container industry, securing his first job at Northern Containers in 1984. He now has a workforce of 25.

He said: “One factor in pursuing the acquisition, which took almost two years to complete, was the job security of the existing staff at Northern Containers and once the finance was in place we had to see off several interested parties.

“I felt that had someone else acquired the business then the livelihood of the staff might have been put at risk. In an era where growth through merger or acquisition often results in job losses, it was important to safeguard people’s futures.

“Acquiring Northern Containers will help us to grow the business and offer a wider range of services to customers with greater efficiency, as these services are now in-house for Ace.”

Mr Hanson was advised by NatWest senior relationship manager Mark Forsyth, who obtained a six-figure loan for Ace to facilitate the acquisition.

Northern will be rebranded in the Ace name.