Ruminant feed specialist’s acquisition creates 330-year-old business

Clitheroe-based B Dugdale & Son, trading as Dugdale Nutrition, has acquired 100% of the share capital of B Tickle and Sons, bringing together two family businesses with a combined 330 years’ of trading history supplying the farmers throughout the North.

Matthew Tickle will join the board of Dugdale Nutrition as operations director alongside Matthew Dugdale, managing director and Michael Townend, finance director.

Dugdale and Townend will join the board of B Tickle & Sons, alongside Tickle as operations director.

B Tickle & Sons will continue to manufacture ruminant feed and will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of B Dugdale & Son.

The blending operation at Speke, Merseyside will cease, with the production absorbed into Dugdale Nutrition’s new purpose built blend plant. This expands the warehousing capacity at Speke to enable stockpiling of bagged products ahead of peak demand periods.

Matthew Dugdale, managing director, said: “Dugdale Nutrition had seen rapid expansion, particularly over the last two to three years. With the manufacture of compound feeds at the Clitheroe site at 100% capacity, the acquisition of B Tickle & Sons allows extra manufacturing capacity, enabling the long term aim of both companies to deliver outstanding customer service.”

Barclays supported the acquisition.

Steve Berry, relationship director at Barclays, said: “Barclays is delighted to support this transaction – the unification of two long established family businesses, represents job security and opportunities for the employees of both companies. It also ensures that a strong independent ruminant feed manufacturer continues to serve the industry in the northern market place.”