Whittaker seals 770m Mersey port deal

John Whittaker’s Peel Holdings Ltd has agreed to buy the Mersey Docks & Harbour Company, the second largest port operator in the UK, for approximately £770m. Peel Holdings, in which John Whittaker has a 73% share, already owns the Manchester Ship Canal, Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Glasgow’s Clydeport.

It took Whittaker seven months to complete the deal, which makes him one of the biggest of the heavyweights amongst British port owners. Whittaker, who lives on the Isle of Man, said: “The combination of Mersey with our existing port operations offers exciting opportunities. We hope to combine our expertise in managing waterside and brownfield property assets with those of the Mersey management and employees.”