Culture and heritage make a family business, says international logistics specialist

It has been some journey. Today Bowker Group is a major UK and international logistics specialist with 450 staff, 160 vehicles, 300 trailers and over a million square feet of warehousing.

Its motor dealership arm has just opened a new state-of-the art Porsche Centre in Preston’s docklands and now accounts for two thirds of the Lancashire family-owned group’s £200m turnover.

The business, based in Bamber Bridge, is celebrating its centenary this year under the stewardship of director Bill Bowker and cousins Paul, chief executive of the motor group and Neil, group managing commercial director.

There is a fourth generation member of the family now in the business. William is currently traffic manager.

Born out of the First World War the business prospered during the Great Strike, survived nationalisation in the late 40s and has been at the forefront of the UK and European haulage industry.
Founder William Henry, from Blackburn, volunteered in the First World War – looking to visit Paris and confident it would be “over by Christmas”.

He ended up driving ambulances and when the fighting finally ended used his war gratuity in 1919 to buy an ex-military vehicle. William Henry began making deliveries for the many cotton mills in the area, building up a formidable fleet.

The General Strike proved a major opportunity. With rail services halted and fruit rotting on Liverpool’s dockside he stepped in.

He began making the first overnight trunk journeys to London and Covent Garden, putting his drivers up in a hotel on the Strand as they carried record amounts of fresh cargo.

The business went from strength to strength, becoming a major player in the sector. However, after the end of the Second World War it faced a major setback when all UK transport assets were nationalised by the Labour government in 1949.

Bowker had to hand over its 85-strong fleet, then the biggest in the country, to the government, receiving £156,000.

The family responded to the challenge and change by continuing its warehouse operation in east Lancashire.

Five years later, with the Conservatives back in power, the business bought 31 vehicles from the government and was back on the road and driving the UK haulage sector forward again.

In December 1961 Bowker took its first journey into Europe, shipping a carpet tufting machine from Blackburn to Holland through the port of Folkestone.

Bill says: “We are one of the oldest road transport companies still operating in the UK today.

“The car group complements what we do in the transport sector; it is all about high end, quality service.”

In November 2016, Bowker completed the purchase of a major warehousing and distribution operation with operations Knowsley, Droitwich, Ripon, York and Selby.

Bill doesn’t rule out more growth. He says: “The key is to find a business that fits, that has the same philosophy and culture.”

And he adds: “We continue to invest in our people, equipment and infrastructure.”

He joined the family firm from school and learned about all aspects of the business, including becoming a qualified driver. He followed his father William and his uncle Ken into the firm.

He says: “I have been around the business since the age of three or four. I used to come into the depot with my dad and when I was six or seven was going on trips to Liverpool docks. He took over the business when he was just 19 and worked seven days a week

“I don’t see it as a job, it is a lifestyle. The culture and heritage are what makes a family business; you are a custodian of something.

“You can build that into your staff – we have a lot of loyalty, with fathers, mothers and their sons and daughters working for us.

“We pride ourselves on how we treat our staff and our relationships with our customers. We treat everyone the way we would like to be treated ourselves.”