Two Continental-owned UK wholesalers, Viking Express and Birkenshaw International, have merged to form Viking International. The new company is one of the UK’s largest wholesalers and will operate from twelve warehouses across the country. In charge is Alan Revie, who was MD of Birkenshaw, and he will be assisted by Grahame Rooke, who held a similar role with Viking. There will be no redundancies among the 260-strong workforce. The decision to merge was taken by Continental in Germany and was implemented very quickly, although the two companies have experience of working together, for example as suppliers to the tyre expert programme. Alan Revie is keen to point out that the merger is not the result of panic, nor is it a defensive measure, as both companies were successful in their own right. Instead it is a conscious attempt to create a single force to give a better service to customers. The merger is effective immediately, although it will obviously take time to sort out new livery and new signage. More details are available in the April issue of TYRES & ACCESSORIES.