M&A radar: Stobart suitor DBAY reaches deadline as Wincanton revs its engine

Eddie Stobart Logistics (ESL) may be a relative tiddler in corporate terms but it has an outsized presence in the UK’s business news agenda, not to mention a brand that has spawned toys, books and a fly-in-the-cab TV series.

But the takeover clock now seems to be ticking on ESL’s 2,700 famous green wagons, each of them with unique and quirky female* names, a la ‘Amber Daisy’ and ‘Trudy Janelle’.**

The latest is that UK haulage and 3PL rival Wincanton – itself ...