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The founder of one of the UK’s most recognisable haulage companies, Eddie Stobart, has passed away at the age of 95. Edward Pears Stobart was born in Cumbria in 1929 to a family of farmers. In 1946, he started a small agricultural business that specialised in fertiliser distribution and completing contract work for local farmers. In 1957, he bought the first Eddie Stobart lorry, which was used to deliver fertiliser. The business expanded after being offered a contract by Imperial Chemical Industries.
The company’s growth accelerated in the 1970s and 1980s, thanks to the leadership of Eddie’s second youngest child, Edward. Edward increased the size of the business from eight lorries to over 2,700. Sadly, Edward passed away in 2011 at the age of 56 due to a suspected heart attack, after running the business for over 30 years. Eddie himself had stepped back significantly from the firm in 1980, after selling most of his trading interests to invest in an industrial warehouse near Carlisle, where he eventually retired with his wife, Nora Boyd.
The haulage company is now known as Stobart Group and was taken over by the Culina Group in 2021. William Stobart, Eddie’s fourth child, is currently the deputy chief executive of Culina. Eddie Stobart will be fondly remembered for creating one of the most recognisable British brands of the 20th century. His legacy, embodied in his colourful lorries, will continue to be seen on the nation’s highways and byways.
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