Tokyo, Japan-headquartered Nichirei Logistics Group’s Nichirei Holding Holland BV subsidiary has finalized the acquisition of Belfast, Northern Ireland-based Norish Limited. The £48.6 million deal includes six refrigerated warehouses offering more than 271,000 cubic meters of storage capacity and 56,000 racked pallet spaces.
The transaction gives the buyer full-scale entry into the cold storage logistics sector of the United Kingdom, and at the same time further expand its business by creating synergies. Nichirei Logistics Group is already active in Britain through its European subsidiaries Thermotraffic UK Ltd. and Kevin Hancock Ltd.
Strategically situated inland and port area coldstores in the Norish network includes third-party and bonded warehouse services ranging from handling, de-vanning, picking and packing, to cross-docking, freezing, distribution and other temperature-controlled assistance. The facilities are certified to handle export cargo to the European Union, United States, China and elsewhere.
“We welcome the Norish team to the Nichirei Logistics Group and are very much looking forward to the future,” said Rob Haesakkers, managing director of Thermotraffic and the new chief executive officer of Norish Ltd. We are convinced that the combination of Norish, Kevin Hancock and Thermotraffic UK will enable us to offer a one-stop solution to our customers. There are great synergistic effects which will boost all our businesses, but most important will give our customers that single point of personal contact.”
This acquisition will allow clients access not only to Thermotraffic freight forwarding, import-export clearing and supply chain optimization, but also enable them to benefit from Kevin Hancock’s extended knowledge of blast-freezing, tempering and microwaving food products.
New Look for Eurofrigo
Meanwhile, Eurofrigo, the Rotterdam, Netherlands-headquartered cold storage logistics unit of Nichirei, last week unveiled an updated logo and corporate identity (seen below) at its newly built refrigerated warehouse on the Maasvlakte.
“Brexit, the corona pandemic and recent international political developments have a huge impact on the supply chain. The complexity has increased and are embracing the possibilities,” said Managing Director Jeroen Tempels during the logo launch.
Active at the Port of Rotterdam for decades, Eurofrigo established its first inspection point (border inspection post) there in 1993. In addition to operations in Rotterdam, the company runs coldstores near the border with Germany in Venlo, and in Roermond.
Eurofrigo carries out around 30,000 inspections of veterinary and phytosanitary cargo per annum and has been working closely with the NVWA (Dutch Food Authority) for many years. The inspection point at its new facility meets the most modern requirements, and the process is designed to guarantee a faster and more effective flow rate.
“With the continuous demand on handling volumes, this is really an investment in the future,” said Tempels. “Volumes in food supply chains are increasing worldwide, and efficient handling is essential.”
