Mon, 03 Nov 2025 | BUSINESS SALE
A logistics group based in Rochdale has expanded into the environmental haulage market with the acquisition of a specialist firm serving the waste and recycling industry. Barnes Logistics has acquired Ningbo Walking Floors for an undisclosed sum.
The deal is set to increase Barnes’ annual turnover by 75 per cent to over £20 million and will see all 44 of Wrexham-based Ningbo’s staff, as well as its 40-strong fleet, joining the group, forming its new environmental division.
Chris Barnes, founder and CEO of Barnes Group, described the deal as “a significant acquisition and one with great potential.”
He continued: “Ningbo has experienced rapid growth since it was formed in 2022. We aim to guide it to the next level by integrating it within the Barnes Group as our new environmental division, in which it will share our award-winning culture and practices.”
The new Barnes Environmental division will serve a nationwide client base, operating a fleet of trailers featuring hydraulically-powered slat floors. The division’s vehicles are able to gradually unload bulk materials, without having to tip the trailer, and are well-suited to the transport of waste and recyclable materials.
Through the acquisition, Barnes expands its fleet to over 120 vehicles, providing transport and logistics services across the UK. The Rochdale-headquartered group, which was founded in 2005, has sites in Nantwich, Coventry and Houghton-Le-Spring and provides services including overnight transport, contract logistics and hazardous goods.
In its most recent accounts, covering the year to March 31 2024, Barnes Logistics reported turnover of £8.65 million, down from £9.17 million a year earlier, while pre-tax profits fell from around £485,000 to £215,000.
Accounts for the wider Barnes Group over the same period showed revenues of approximately £12.3 million, down from around £13.1 million, and pre-tax profits of £597,421, down from around £777,000.
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