Culina launches international division amid rebrand, faces financial headwinds

Culina Group has announced the creation of Culina International, a new division consolidating its cross-channel transport operations across Belgium, Germany, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, and the UK. This strategic move accompanies the group-wide rebrand that unified legacy brands including Eddie Stobart, Great Bear, and Fowler Welch under a single identity. The initiative represents a structural transformation aimed at improving customer connectivity and operational collaboration.

However, the expansion occurs against a backdrop of significant financial deterioration for the group's core operations. Eddie Stobart reported a £24.9m pre-tax loss in 2025 (compared to £883k loss in 2024), Great Bear swung to a £13.2m loss from £15.3m profit, and Fowler Welch's profits more than halved to £3.3m. These declines reflect persistent industry headwinds: lost contracts, lower customer volumes, underutilized warehouse capacity, and elevated labor and energy costs.

For supply chain professionals, this development signals both opportunity and risk. The consolidation creates a more integrated transport network for UK-Europe movements, potentially improving service reliability and cost efficiency for customers moving goods across the Channel. Conversely, the financial stress on legacy divisions suggests the market remains highly competitive and margin pressures are widespread across the UK-European haulage sector.