FIFTEEN jobs have been secured after a North Yorkshire bulk haulage company acquired a long-standing competitor business.

M Kettlewell (Melmerby) Ltd, which transports raw materials, such as wheat and barley, for animal feed processors nationally, has also expanded its fleet and customer base after acquiring Allen W Brown and Co, Knayton, near Thirsk. It has backing from Yorkshire Bank’s Harrogate Financial Solutions Centre (FSC) through its Investing For Growth initiative.

All operations from the Allen W Brown Haulage site have been relocated to M Kettlewell’s headquarters, in Station Yard, Melmerby, near Ripon, where the 15 staff are now based. The vehicles will operate under Allen W Brown livery as a separate division in the M Kettlewell Group, which also includes fuel oil supplier Kettlewell Fuels Ltd and Kettlewell Commercials, a registered DAF service and repair centre.

Allan Brown, who has retired with the acquisition, had run his bulk haulage business, operating in the same sector nationally, for 40 years.

He also had 20 dedicated sub-contractors with their own vehicles and a £3.5 million turnover.

The acquisition takes the M Kettlewell (Melmerby) Ltd total staff from 39 to 54 and its turnover from £3 million to £7 million.