Freight forwarders celebrate a century of trading

Freight forwarders Chambers and Cook Group – founded in 1925 by Harold Chambers and Mr Cook – is celebrating a century of trading.

The family operated business expanded internationally in 1970, after Harold’s daughter married Pat Blackburn who joined the business and became managing director.

Pat remained at the helm until Paul Blackburn took over the reins in 1995.

In 2001, the firm became a founder member of Palletforce and Celebrated delivering two million pallets in 2021.

They are also committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2040.

The 100-year celebrations came during the Truckfest show, held at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern on 5 July.

Speaking about the milestone, group managing director Paul Blackburn (pictured) said: “It’s an honour to have led the company after my father and grandfather for the last 30 years to reach this milestone of 100 years trading

“I know they would be proud of our accomplishment to adapt over the years to be a stronger diverse business despite the pressures of the logistics industry

“A big thank you to all our employees many of which have worked for the company for many years and our pivotal to our success”

Operations director Jamie Stephenson said: “From the outset, the business has continually focused on providing reliable and consistently high levels of service to customers, and that ethos still runs across the company today,

“We have relationships with some customers that span over 40 years which is testament to the partnership approach we take and our ability to add value for our customers.

“We have always been a family-owned and operated business and our family values remain at the heart of everything we do.

“Our people are our most valuable assets because, in a service-driven industry, the ability to respond quickly and effectively to our customers’ needs is crucial.

“The industry has its challenges and, aside from the factors you can’t control, the marketplace is as competitive as ever both from a commercial and service perspective.

“For us, despite these challenges we face, adaptability and resilience are key. Our commitment is that we continue to deliver exceptional service and respond to our customers' needs with the agility required to succeed.

“Our customers are our lifeblood and we need to be there to support them, that’s why we view our business as an extension of theirs.

“Looking to the future, we recognise the importance of reducing our environmental impact and are taking proactive steps to minimise our carbon footprint.

“However, the nature of our industry presents unique challenges, there isn’t one fix that will solve the decarbonisation problem, more like lots of smaller solutions to reach the bigger target.”