Starting life as a small independent parcel delivery firm just over 30 years ago, Expect Distribution is now a national leader in the field of logistics, warehousing, and pallet distribution that has firmly set its roots down in Bradford.
Employing 250 people, the company remains a family concern, with managing director Neil Rushworth, whose father founded the original firm, Pennine Parcels, in 1988, at the helm.
Although originally based in Halifax, Expect moved its head office to Premier Point at Staithgate Lane in Bradford in 2007.
The company has recently consolidated its roots in the district with the development of its new 193,000 sq. ft Woodlands site on the Euroway Trading Estate – the biggest site yet to be opened by the firm.
Although Woodlands has been up and running since March this year, Expect held an official opening event to celebrate the new warehouse space in September, with the Lord Mayor of Bradford Councillor Doreen Lee performing the official opening.
“The Lord Mayor of Bradford is a fantastic advert for the city and speaks so passionately about the area, it seemed very fitting to have her opening it,” he said.
The investment in the site came about through existing client, Borg Warner, which is also based on the Euroway Trading Estate, and had asked whether Expect could provide a dedicated facility for them.
When the Woodlands site became available, it proved to be the ideal solution, as it was just 500 yards from Borg Warner, and incorporated a 40,000 sq ft area that could be dedicated to the international motor industry components and parts supplier’s needs.
“The project was in total an 18 month project and the main issue which we had to contend with was that the site required a full refurbishment after being vacated swiftly by Astracast including works to the roof, so it was a pretty stressful time as we had clients literally waiting to input freight as the lease was signed on the building,” said Neil.
“We took a 15-year-deal on the site. In our business we need long term assurance and the site is also conveniently placed for us with only the M606 separating our head office and the new site
“The uptake in terms of business has been so great that we have also now added a further 18,000 sq. ft onto the building through a semi-permanent extension. We also now have that space fully allocated too.”
The company has continued to grow as others have not fared so well. Neil says there are a number of elements that have contributed to that, but the key one is the good name the company has forged for itself.
“Expect has been successful primarily down to hard work, willingness to take risk and invest, and probably an element of luck involving right place, right time. However, the main reason for our success is the reputation we have built over many years as a quality logistics provider,” he said.
“We are in a tough industry where profit margins are very low and we have worked hard during recent years of focusing on what we are good at, which is finding solutions which save our customers money and which are sustainable. We also seek sectors of the industry where we can drive a higher margin and that has led to the growth of our contracts and warehousing divisions which sit well alongside our general distribution division.”
He also believed that the fact Expect remained a family-run operation stood it in good stead.
“When you study our customer base in detail, it is evident that the majority of them are SMEs. They are like-minded business who like the fact that we are a family business which genuinely takes an interest in what they are doing and how we can best function with them,” he said.
“Our relationships with our clients are personal and we take them seriously, we like to provide a service above and beyond what they would get anywhere else and our employees follow those beliefs.”
Neil said he still has sole responsibility for the sales side of the business and prided himself in the fact that a client could sit in front of him as MD and get a genuine and honest pitch as to what Expect has to offer them.
“It is a very powerful USP that wins us business that perhaps we wouldn’t otherwise. Trust is one of the key benefits of using a family run business, it is a value we hold in high regard and that starts right from an introductory meeting.”
He said the company experienced some tough times when it was formed as Pennine Parcels and believes it would not have survived if the opportunity to join the Palletline network as a founder member had not come up.
“We changed our profile to a pallet carrier and stopped handling parcels in the mid ‘90s. Eventually our original name Pennine Parcels, although trusted and reputable, had to be addressed and the next stage of our progression really came through the company rebrand to Expect Distribution in 2005,” said Neil.
“That suddenly gave us a very powerful marketing tool, the name and vehicle livery changed overnight but we essentially remained the same business, but I honestly believe that it elevated us to another level in terms of the markets we could reach.
Neil said that by 2007 they had outgrown the Halifax site and came across the Staithgate Lane site by chance.
Despite the timing coinciding with the start of the recession, Expect decided to take a risk.
“I am sure others would not have done what we did in terms of an £8m investment at a time where others were thinking about downsizing. It was a risk but if you work hard enough and are single-minded in what you want to achieve, I firmly believe you will overcome virtually any situation and so it proved,” said Neil.
Expect retained their Halifax site to grow the warehousing division and quickly filled it with quality warehousing contracts.
The decision to move to Bradford was made easier by the help the firm was given by Bradford Council.
“Expect was based in Calderdale for a good 20 years and ultimately the local council provided us with very little assistance over that time,” said Neil. “Moving to Bradford was like a breath of fresh air and we suddenly had a local council who were interested in how they could help us develop.
“The council have a big part to play in the mood of the local business community and I think over recent years have created a sense of togetherness
“Bradford is also well located logistically and our two sites in the city are perfectly placed adjacent to the motorway network- just where we need to be and we also have a third operation with the Grattan (FGH) building which is another warehousing site.
“We are really proud to be a part of Bradford and continue to create jobs within the local community. Our roots are now firmly embedded in the area and there are no plans to change the winning formula.”
The company has won a number of national industry awards over the years, as well as having recognition in local awards, such as Bradford Means Business.
“It is great to win awards and have the hard work of the team recognised. For me they are more a health check that you are consistently doing the right things and achieving results,” he said.
“This year we won the UKWA (UK Warehousing Association) award for Best New Infrastructure project for the new Woodlands site. To achieve that just three months after opening it really made all the efforts worthwhile and provided such a morale boost for everybody within the business.
“But we view local awards as every bit as important. Most of our customer base is within 15 miles of Bradford. The majority of our employees are from the Bradford and Halifax areas and we do everything we can to be part of the business community so in 2018 we entered the SME of the Year award and were lucky enough to win it. This year we were finalists in the Job Creator and Customer Care awards.
“What I really like about the BMB awards is that they view small, medium and large businesses as contributors to Bradford. This year the two categories in which we were finalists were not won by Expect, they were won by a nursery and a local baker, both of whom I am certain put their hearts and souls into making their businesses the best they can be.
“All of us are equally important to our local community and it is great to see every size of business and their successes being recognised.”
The company also prides itself on fundraising and community activities, with charity skydives, James Bond and Abba nights, a national Three Peaks challenge, and an It’s a Knockout event helping to raise £50,000 for charities over the last five years.
“We also like to do work directly in the community and have lent support at Christmas to Bradford Hospital to provide presents for children who otherwise wouldn’t receive anything. That is where it is great to use the size of the company to make a difference and I find that very fulfilling,” said Neil.
As the leader of a family business, Neil is very aware of the importance of a loyal team.
“A business cannot be successful without good people who are prepared to go over and above the norm at every level of the business. As you become a larger business that is something which you have to work harder to maintain but we view it as essential to continue running the business in the way we want and which our customers rightly demand and enjoy,”
Neil Rushworth
