Evesham’s Marshall’s Transport continues to thrive as it enters its ninth decade in business
A Worcestershire logistics firm which took its first steps in business as the Second World War ended and has thrived through the ownership of two families is celebrating its 80th birthday.
Marshall’s Transport was set up by Alan Marshall in 1945, when he realised the goods he was delivering on behalf of a local butcher could make him money if he delivered them himself.
After buying his own van and starting to distribute meat around the vale of Evesham, the company quickly grew into distributing fresh produce and became a staple of the county’s logistics network.
Fast-forward to 1985 and George Simpson bought the business from Ivor Marshall and his two brothers, by which time it had grown to run a 54-strong fleet with a national footprint.
Forty years later, George is showing no sign of letting up – even at the tender age of 84! He still works three-and-a-half days a week, with son Brian, 59, running day-to-day matters as commercial director.
Marshalls now operates 100,000 sq. ft of racked, BRC-accredited internal storage and 40 acres of hardstanding outdoor storage space from its Pershore HQ and specialises in the handling, distribution and storage of ambient temperature food products and printed matter.
It also has a firm commitment to supporting the community which has supported it for so long, including donating the use of its vehicles for Worcester and Evesham carnivals.
It was 1985, when George was working in the wholesale business supplying market traders and shops, when Ivor Marshall approached him and asked him if he’d like to buy the company.
He said: “I didn’t have much expertise in transport but it was a project that really interested me. The company was losing money and it had three properties – one in Murcot, one in Badsey and the main premises in Evesham.
“It was causing major problems travelling through the villages, so we started to look around for premises as we wanted somewhere we could have a foundation.
“One day, I drove past the airfield where we are now – it was 73 acres and it was just empty. I enquired and found out it was going to be sold as the owner had passed away.
“So we sold the other sites for housing, which gave us enough money to buy the airfield, and the rest is history. It gave us a concrete footing and we started to grow from there.
“We had a sound footing and storage facilities, which enabled us to start transporting internationally too.
“We were sending three lorries a week through France and into Italy with products from the local area, as well as general haulage across the UK. Those vehicles were coming back full with shotgun cartridges, wine and marble brought back from Italy.”
However, sending vehicles overseas started to come at the expense of the firm’s local growth, something which was addressed when it joined the award-winning Wolverhampton-based Pallet-Track network in 2012.
The network is made up of more than 90 members, who deliver goods to three UK hubs for fellow members to complete final-mile deliveries.
“I’d looked at it a couple of years before and I didn’t think it was going to pay but as we started to look at it more, it started to make more sense,” said George.
“When we were travelling all over the country, those vehicles were lost to local work. The network is a brilliant idea to split it all up and help reduce the strain on long distance drivers.”
As it enters its ninth decade, the business remains in safe hands with Brian – who dad George admits went to the school of hard knocks in the beginning!
He said: “When I brought Brian into the business, I sent him straight into the workshop to learn how to strip engines down and rebuild them.
““That’s how he learned his trade – but I was accused of being a hardman! The team on the shop floor thought he was a spy in the camp. But it all worked out, and Brian moved into the warehouse side of things, before getting involved in operations and moving into a role he still has today.
“His continued hard work and drive has pushed Marshalls on, which has attributed to the firm’s position within the transport industry to this day.”
For more information on Marshall’s Transport, visit www.marshallsofevesham.co.uk.
