INVESTMENT and an ongoing commitment to high levels of customer service across Bristol & Avon Group’s range of activities is a key business focus, after the recent sale of its waste management division.
Earlier this year B&A’s skip and waste division was acquired by Smiths (Gloucester) Ltd – a family-run waste management business operating in south west England.
All assets of B&A’s waste division transferred to the new owners in January. These included skips, waste containers, MRF, all plant and machinery, lorries, roll-on roll-off (RORO) hire and recycling services, together with its dedicated management and operations team, drivers and yard staff. These are now directly employed by Smiths and are enjoying working for another family run company.
For B&A Group, the divestment means an increased focus on growing the services provided by its expanding Transport & Recycling division – providing Soil and Land Remediation, Environmental Consultancy, Aggregates, Muck away, Tippers and Grab Hire.
Commenting on the sale of the skip division, Aidan Berkely, Director of B&A Group, said: “Early last year, we were approached by Smiths of Gloucester who wanted to expand their waste business on a larger scale in the Bristol area. Whilst we have enjoyed 17 years of success in Bristol and the surrounding areas, we are proud to hand over to another well-established and successful family-owned business.
“I would personally like to thank all of our customers for their help and support in making the waste activities a success, as we would not have been able to do this without you.”
Aidan Berkely added: “The acquisition also provided me with the opportunity to focus my attention on other areas of the B&A Group which we are now in the process of developing, adding strength to the Group’s presence in the South West.”
Smiths of Gloucester said it looked forward to building on the B&A Group’s excellent work over the years from the same site in Avonmouth, Bristol.
The sale and focus now on the Transport & Recycling Division marks a milestone in the Group’s history. Established 26 years ago by the Late Jimmy Berkely and developed with the help of his family, B&A Group has grown into an award-winning player in haulage, land remediation and aggregate recycling in the South West.
Last year, Bristol & Avon Transport & Recycling Ltd was named as one of London Stock Exchange Group’s 1,000 Companies to Inspire Britain, in recognition of the substantial growth in the company’s profitability and turnover. To be included on the list, companies need to show consistent revenue growth for at least three years, outperforming others in the sector.
As part of its plans for growth, the B&A Group has invested £7 million in a state-of-the-art aggregates recycling facility and bespoke head office at Hallen as part of its ongoing investment programme. And, in March it welcomed the delivery of five brand new Scania XT G500 tippers with sleeper cabs to strengthen and improve its fleet and to also allow the company to service clients beyond the South West region. In line with the Group’s continued investment and to improve efficiency within their recycling centre, the Group has procured a CAT D6 Dozer, a Sany SY215C Excavator and a Liebherr R926 Crawler Excavator.
Emphasising B&A Group’s plans to drive ahead with a strong and high level of customer service, Clare Berkely, Finance Director at B&A Group, said: “It is the centralisation of our core business, planned investment, our excellent management team committed to providing excellent service to our clients, coupled with our drive to ensure we provide safe, cost effective, professional, and compliant turnkey solutions to all our customers, which has contributed to our success.”