Haulage firm drives into Midlands
A FAMILY-owned Lancashire haulage and warehousing company has invested in a new base in the Midlands.
Fagan & Whalley – which began in 1927 as a horse and cart coal merchant – has bought a site near the M6 close to the Ricoh Arena in Coventry after sealing a £1.5m funding deal from Yorkshire Bank.
The £17m turnover company says the investment will allow it to better serve customers in the Midlands and the south.
F&W, which has its head office and control centre on Shuttleworth Mead Business Park in Padiham, employs 240 people and operates 140 vehicles and 300 trailers.
Its Midlands hub has the capacity to hold 60 HGVs and will create a number of new jobs for drivers and operations staff as it grows.
Stephen Fagan, commercial director at Fagan & Whalley, saidL “Our customer base in the Midlands and south of England continues to increase and to provide the high levels of customer service we are known for, increased capacity and flexibility in our operation was required.
“The funding provided by Yorkshire Bank has been integral to our plans to acquire this new transport hub.”
Simon King, business partner at Yorkshire Bank’s Manchester Financial Solutions Centre, added: “Fagan & Whalley is a hugely successful road haulage business with a clear strategy for expansion.
“The new operation in Coventry will offer greater efficiency for the business as it looks to grow its operations in the south of England.”
Fagan & Whalley takes its name from its founders Thomas Whalley and his son-in-law, Sam Fagan, who bought the Burnley coal merchants business.
Stephen and his brother, Graham Fagan, the operations director, are the fifth generation of the family involved in the business. Their children are also now working for the firm too, which celebrates its 85th anniversary this year.
