NORTHGATE Vehicle Hire has acquired Blakedale, supplier of specialist traffic management and support vehicles.
Blakedale is a family-owned business based in Chorley, Lancashire which over the past 30 years has built itself into the UK’s largest privately owned traffic management company.
Its specialist fleet of 334 traffic management vehicles range from 3.5-18 tonnes and is supplied to highways contractors on both short and long-term rental and contract hire. The fleet currently works across a range of motorway and urban environments and is also available for self-drive hire.
The acquisition enables Northgate Vehicle Hire to grow its share of the traffic management sector at a time when the Government has pledged strategic long-term investment in UK roads until 2050.
In 2020 Blakedale relocated to its current 20,000 square foot premises in Matrix Park, Chorley where its experienced team design, build, repair and maintain vehicles for the UK’s leading highways contractors. These include 18-tonne Impact Protection Vehicles, welfare vans and bespoke traffic management vehicles of all shapes and sizes.
Blakedale shares Northgate’s customer-centric approach and enjoys long-term working relationships of over 15 years with its major customers. The strength of the brand in the market allows Northgate to operate with Blakedale as a separate division thus retaining its premises and people.
Current joint-MD and family shareholder Carmen Bowley, who has worked in the business since 1999 and with the wider management team has led the company’s growth over the past 20 years, will remain on board to ensure a smooth transition process during the coming months.
Northgate has appointed Jon Taylor as joint-MD to initially work alongside Bowley. Together they will leverage the specialist skills and resources of both businesses to deliver enhanced customer propositions.
