Suttons Transport Group increased turnover by 20 per cent to £176.2 million in the year to 30th April 2015, mainly due to two major takeovers during the year.
It said takeovers of Imperial Tankers in the UK and IS Logistics in Singapore accounted for an increase in turnover of £26.9m. Organic growth amounted to £2.9m (two per cent).
Operating profit was down from £9.5m in 2014 to £7.2m last year. However, the company said that EBITDA increased by £600,000 to £12.9m.
In January 2016, Suttons appointed Graeme McFaull, the former Wincanton chief executive, as chairman. The group’s former chairman Michael Sutton died in May 2015. The son of founder Alf Sutton, he joined the business when he was 19, and succeeded Alf as managing director in 1978.
Suttons has grown rapidly over the past few years, specialising in bulk logistics services both in the UK and internationally serving the chemical, petroleum gases and food markets.
It has been expanding in the far east. In 2013 it bought Chinese transport company Han Chi Logistics, and in 2014 it bought Singapore-based chemicals specialist IS Logistics Group.
In the UK it bought Imperial Tankers from Hargreaves in 2014, taking its fleet of road tankers to more than 700.
