FIVE months short of its centenary, the Faversham haulage firm of Francis Davis finally disappears over the Jubilee weekend with the sale of its yard to neighbouring brewery Shepherd Neame.

Joint managing director David Pilcher, whose own links with the firm went back 32 years, said: "It's very sad. But it was almost inevitable with the fact that the supermarkets had involved themselves with organising the transport to the depot and you've got to be able to be big to compete."

Richard Davis, a director, said: "It's the end of a family association with the site and the business in Faversham." The Francis Davis yard, next to the brewery in North Lane, was bought by Mr Davis's great grandfather, Francis Davis, on November 1, 1902, and has remained in the Davis family for most of that time. It has been used as a coal merchants business and as a haulage business.

This stopped in November, but its 10 former drivers are believed to have found work. Mr Pilcher said that in the 1980s and 1990s refrigerated lorries allowed the firm to haul fresh local produce. "We didn't do anything wrong, "he said. Market forces took it out of the hands of the small entrepreneur."

A Shepherd Neame spokesman said: "We are still examining a number of options that have been proposed to optimise the three-quarter acre site. Our acquisition of the Francis Davis yard couldn't have come at a better time as sales of our beers are rising and, therefore, production at the brewery continues to increase."