Eddie Stobart Logistics has joined the London Stock Exchange.

The company began trading on the Alternative Investment Market at 8am today.

It has issued 357,918,800 ordinary shares with voting rights in the company.

Alex Laffey, chief executive, said: "The completion of the IPO process is a key milestone for Eddie Stobart.

"We have received strong interest from investors and we are excited to begin this new period as an independent company with the appropriate capital structure to take advantage of growth opportunities in the supply chain and logistics market. We welcome our new shareholders and look forward with confidence to the next phase of our development as a listed company."

Eddie Stobart can trace its roots to the 1970s when it began as an offshoot of an agricultural contracting business in Hesket Newmarket. It is now headquartered in Cheshire and employs about 5,500 people with more than 2,000 vehicles and almost 4,000 trailers