Culina Group

Culina Group is a United Kingdom logistics group focused on the movement, storage and related supply-chain management of food and drink products. Its head office is in Market Drayton, Shropshire, where the business began in 1994 as a haulage operation. Over time, Culina developed from a transport company into a broader third-party logistics group through mergers, acquisitions and partnerships across warehousing, distribution and specialist logistics. The company’s expansion has been closely associated with the food and beverage supply chain, a sector requiring reliable transport capacity, controlled handling, regional distribution networks and coordination between manufacturers, retailers and suppliers. Its portfolio has been enlarged by the integration of established logistics businesses, including Bayliss Transport, Great Bear Distribution, Robsons of Spalding and Fowler Welch. These transactions broadened the group’s capabilities beyond its original haulage base and increased its presence in contract logistics, warehousing and distribution. Culina also owns or controls a number of logistics brands. Its corporate structure includes Eddie Stobart and related Stobart businesses, giving the group exposure to general freight and European transport activities in addition to food and drink logistics. In 2021, Culina acquired GreenWhiteStar Acquisitions, the holding company associated with the Eddie Stobart Group. The group subsequently continued to expand its European logistics activities; in 2024, subsidiary Stobart Europe acquired Suloja Autotransporte GmbH, an automotive logistics company headquartered in Mönchengladbach, Germany. The business is privately held and wholly owned by Müller Group, the dairy and food company. This ownership links Culina to a major food-industry parent while allowing it to operate as a logistics group serving a wider customer base. Culina’s portfolio approach means that the group is represented through multiple operating companies and specialist brands rather than through one single consumer-facing product line. Culina Group is therefore best understood as a business-to-business logistics brand and group platform. Its value proposition is based on dependable transport, warehousing and supply-chain execution for food, drink and other sectors, supported by a network of acquired and affiliated logistics companies. Public reference material identifies the United Kingdom as its principal base and market, with later acquisitions giving the wider group a broader European footprint.

Culina Group was established in 1994 in Market Drayton, Shropshire, as a haulage business. Its initial role was rooted in road transport, but the company later broadened its scope toward integrated logistics for food and drink manufacturers, distributors and other commercial customers. This development reflected the growing importance of outsourced logistics, in which companies contract specialist operators to manage transportation, warehousing and parts of their supply chains. A significant early expansion came in 2008, when Culina merged with Bayliss Transport, a third-party logistics operator. The combination strengthened the group’s operating base and supported its move beyond a single-company haulage model. In 2016, Culina acquired Great Bear Distribution. Great Bear added substantial warehousing and distribution capabilities and became an important part of the group’s logistics platform. Culina continued to develop through collaborative and regional transactions. In 2018, it entered a joint venture with Warren Warehousing Group, increasing its involvement in warehousing operations. The same year, it acquired Robsons of Spalding, adding another established transport and logistics business to its portfolio. These steps reinforced the group’s multi-brand structure and expanded its ability to serve customers through different operating specialisms. In June 2020, Culina purchased Fowler Welch from Dart Group. Fowler Welch brought further experience in food and drink distribution and strengthened Culina’s position in temperature-sensitive and supply-chain logistics. The transaction was part of the group’s continuing effort to assemble a broad logistics network rather than rely solely on organic growth. The group made one of its most visible acquisitions in July 2021, when it bought GreenWhiteStar Acquisitions, the holding company of the Eddie Stobart Group. Eddie Stobart was a prominent transport and logistics name, and its addition gave Culina ownership of a widely recognised logistics brand and related operations. The transaction also connected Culina’s food-and-drink-focused platform with broader freight, transport and European logistics activities. Culina’s later expansion included activity in specialist continental European logistics. In April 2024, it was announced that Stobart Europe, a Culina subsidiary, had acquired Suloja Autotransporte GmbH, an automotive logistics company headquartered in Mönchengladbach, Germany. This transaction extended the group’s portfolio beyond its traditional food and drink emphasis into automotive transport and logistics. Culina Group is wholly owned by Müller Group. The relationship gives the logistics business a parent with major interests in food and dairy while Culina continues to operate as a logistics group serving multiple customers and sectors. Its history is consequently defined by consolidation, acquisition-led capability building and the integration of specialist brands in haulage, warehousing, distribution and European transport.

1. 2024Stobart Europe acquires Suloja Autotransporte

   Stobart Europe acquires the Mönchengladbach-based automotive logistics company Suloja Autotransporte GmbH.

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2. 2021Eddie Stobart Group enters the Culina portfolio

   Culina acquires GreenWhiteStar Acquisitions, the holding company of the Eddie Stobart Group.

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3. 2020Fowler Welch acquisition

   Culina purchases Fowler Welch from Dart Group in June, strengthening its food and drink logistics portfolio.

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4. 2018Warehousing joint venture and Robsons acquisition

   Culina enters a joint venture with Warren Warehousing Group and acquires Robsons of Spalding.

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5. 2016Acquisition of Great Bear Distribution

   Culina acquires Great Bear Distribution, adding significant warehousing and distribution capabilities.

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6. 2008Merger with Bayliss Transport

   Culina combines with Bayliss Transport, a third-party logistics operator, broadening its operating platform.

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7. 1994Culina is established in Market Drayton

   The business begins as a haulage company in Market Drayton, Shropshire.

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A privately owned, food-and-drink-focused third-party logistics group that combines haulage, warehousing, distribution and specialist transport capabilities through a portfolio of operating companies.

• Culina logistics servicesFood and drink third-party logistics1994

  Culina’s core offering is business-to-business logistics for the food and drink sector. It combines road haulage with distribution and supply-chain coordination, serving customers that require dependable movement of products between production sites, warehouses, distribution centres and commercial destinations. The group’s wider operating structure adds warehousing and specialist logistics capabilities to the original transport base.

• Great Bear DistributionWarehousing and distribution

  Great Bear Distribution is a logistics business acquired by Culina in 2016. Its role within the group is associated with warehousing, distribution and contract-logistics activity. The acquisition helped Culina expand from haulage into a more integrated logistics model capable of supporting inventory handling and distribution operations as well as transport.

• Eddie StobartTransport and logistics

  Eddie Stobart is a transport and logistics brand brought into the Culina Group through the 2021 acquisition of GreenWhiteStar Acquisitions. Its presence gives the group a recognised operating name in road freight and related logistics and complements Culina’s food-and-drink-focused businesses with broader transport capabilities.

• Stobart EuropeEuropean logistics

  Stobart Europe is a Culina subsidiary involved in European transport and logistics. Its acquisition of Suloja Autotransporte GmbH in 2024 indicates activity in specialist automotive logistics as well as the group’s wider European freight operations.

• 2024Stobart Europe acquires Suloja AutotransporteM&A

  The group continued to develop specialist logistics activities in continental Europe.

  What changed. Stobart Europe acquired Suloja Autotransporte GmbH, an automotive logistics company based in Mönchengladbach.

  Aftermath. The transaction expanded the group’s presence in automotive logistics and European transport.

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• 2021Acquire GreenWhiteStar AcquisitionsM&A

  Culina sought to broaden its transport and logistics portfolio through the acquisition of the Eddie Stobart Group holding company.

  What changed. Culina acquired GreenWhiteStar Acquisitions in July 2021.

  Aftermath. Eddie Stobart and related businesses became part of the Culina Group structure.

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• 2020Purchase Fowler Welch from Dart GroupM&A

  Culina continued to consolidate specialist food and drink logistics capabilities.

  What changed. Culina purchased Fowler Welch from Dart Group in June 2020.

  Aftermath. The acquisition strengthened the group’s food and drink distribution platform.

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• 2016Acquire Great Bear DistributionM&A

  Culina was expanding beyond its original haulage base and sought additional warehousing and distribution capabilities.

  What changed. The group acquired Great Bear Distribution.

  Aftermath. Great Bear became part of Culina’s broader third-party logistics portfolio.

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• 2024Stobart Europe acquires Suloja Autotransporte GmbH

  Stobart Europe, a Culina Group subsidiary, acquired Suloja Autotransporte GmbH, a Mönchengladbach-based automotive logistics company, extending the group’s European specialist-transport activities.

  M&A
  Source
• 2021Culina Group acquires GreenWhiteStar Acquisitions, the holding company of Eddie Stobart Group

  Culina Group expanded its logistics portfolio by acquiring GreenWhiteStar Acquisitions, bringing the Eddie Stobart Group holding structure into its wider business.

  M&A
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1. Culina Group
2. Culina Group official website