NFC agrees to buy Birds Eye Walls distribution
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• Despite opposition from the Transport and General Workers' Union, (CM August 16), Birds Eye Walls has gone ahead with the sale of its distribution business — to the National Freight Consortium — for an undisclosed sum.
Birds Eye Walls' distribution division has a £40 million turnover and operates one of the largest temperature-controlled transport fleets in the UK, with 500 vehicles based at seven regional depots.
NFC expects Birds Eye Walls to transfer its distribution activities over to the employee-owned Consortium on January 1, 1987, when it will become a free-standing operation within the NFC Distribution Group.
The 1,600 Birds Eye Walls staff will be given the chance to buy shares in the NFC.
The TGWU, however, will be seeking urgent joint discussions with both companies, according to Regional Officer Joe Elliott, to ensure the transfer does not result in any redundancies.
NFC chairman, Sir Peter Thompson, says the "placing of the Birds Eye Walls distribution activities in the Group will greatly enhance the scope of services available to customers in this sector".
The NFC's Distribution Group, which has a turnover of more than £100 million, already operates in the temperature-controlled sector through its SPD subsidiary which has over 100 vehicles on frozen/chilled distribution, and also through Tempco Union.
Birds Eye Walls was known to be also talking with Christian Salvesen and Hays. Distribution Services.