Local news is reporting that Stobarts has been sold to the Westbury Group for £138 million.
full story here.
Eddie Stobart to list its shares
People compete to see who can spot the most Eddie Stobart trucks
Eddie Stobart, the UK’s best-known road haulage business, is motoring towards a listing on the London Stock Exchange.
The move follows after the firm announced plans to join with property and logistics group Westbury Property Fund in a complex reverse takeover.
While Westbury is paying £138m to buy Eddie Stobart, Stobart’s owners are buying Westbury’s property portfolio for £142m.
The merged group will be called Stobart and take up Westbury’s share listing.
Fans can now invest and own a part of the business
Eddie Stobart
It will combine Eddie Stobart’s road transport, warehouse and rail freight operations, with Westbury’s own rail freight business and port at Runcorn in Cheshire.
Eddie Stobart’s current owners, William Stobart and Andrew Tinkler will run the merged company, taking up the roles of chief executive and chief operating officer respectively.
Westbury’s property portfolio is being bought for £142m by Mr Stobart and Mr Tinker through their separate business WADI Properties, which will operate independently from the merged Stobart group.
Cult following
Founded in 1970, Eddie Stobart has a cult following among members of the public.
William Stobart and Andrew Tinkler will run the merged business
Its distinctive lorries, each sporting a unique female name, have inspired a fan club, members of whom compete for the most sightings of Eddie Stobart trucks.
A range of toys and T-shirts are also available, and there has even been an animated TV series centred on a truck called Steady Eddie.
“Eddie Stobart has a large and loyal fan base,” the firm said in a statement.
"There are thousands of fans who collect memorabilia and attend events, and a large number who compete in the ‘Spotters League Table’.
“For many, the metamorphosis of Eddie Stobart to a publicly-listed company will mean that they can now invest and own a part of the business.”
Based in Carlisle, Eddie Stobart operates from 27 sites across the UK.
Mr Tinkler and Mr Stobart will hold 28.5% of the new company following the merger.
Westbury has also announced the acquisition of Widnes-based freight handling firm O’Connor for £23m, alongside the Eddie Stobart merger.
The merger of Westbury and Eddie Stobart still requires the approval of Westbury shareholders, but this is expected to be successful.
SNAP!
i was first nah na di nah na 
r slicker:
i was first nah na di nah na
You win!!
I doubt £138m would buy his fleet,let alone property,assetts etc.If they have any.Sounds cheap.If i had known,i would have got a whip round from a few of us and put a bid in!!
Theres a bird in scotland that might a have few bob spare if needed, doubt she`ll need it all
I read this in the Sun yesterday and there was a bit about the history of the original company.
It also said that Andrew Tinkler was a fitter for Eddie Stobart. Just wondered how you get from the workshops to this.
He must have sold some old batteries or summat 
Wheel Nut:
I read this in the Sun yesterday and there was a bit about the history of the original company.It also said that Andrew Tinkler was a fitter for Eddie Stobart. Just wondered how you get from the workshops to this.
He must have sold some old batteries or summat
I read in another paper that Andrew Tinkler is an old school friend of William Stobart and that they grew up together.
Andrew Tinkler and William Stobart are Brothers in Law.