Over 40 individuals are facing unemployment following the liquidation of AET Transport Services Ltd, a family-owned haulage company based in Dorset. The firm voluntarily entered liquidation last week.
According to the company’s most recent full accounts submission, as of August 2022, AET Transport employed 47 individuals, including two directors. Financial records reveal a loss of £177,264 for the year up to August 2022, with creditors owed £2.492 million, marking an increase from £1.621 million in the previous year.
Established in 1977, AET Transport operated a distribution center spanning 95,000 square feet in Andover, Hampshire, equipped with a 10,000 square foot warehouse. The company’s fleet boasted over 60 trucks, including various specialized vehicles like cranes, hiabs, low loaders, flatbed trucks, and vans. Its Andover branch catered to renowned national entities such as Waitrose and Atkins & Potts, while its Poole-based freight arm, Eaton, served clients like Sunseeker and Rolls-Royce.
Despite branding itself as a leader in global logistics, AET Transport’s website has been taken offline, indicating ongoing construction for a new site. Joint liquidators Rachel Hotham and Ruth Gilbert from Milsted Langdon have been appointed to oversee the liquidation process.
AET Transport’s acquisition by Blackburn-based Kenyon Road Haulage in 2021 preceded the latter’s collapse in March 2023. Notably, AET Transport was listed as a creditor in the administrator’s report, being owed £10,500 as of May 2023. The company faced adversity in 2009 when an arson attack destroyed six lorries and five trailers, incurring losses of £1 million.
The formal commencement of liquidation occurred on Tuesday, February 13, prompting ongoing investigation into the company’s financial affairs and outstanding debts. Attempts to reach the company’s directors for comment are underway.
