Davies Turner

What Davies Turner does

Davies Turner is a UK-headquartered, privately held freight and logistics provider founded in 1870 and operating as Davies Turner PLC. It offers an integrated multi-modal stack across air freight (Davies Turner Air Cargo and Express sub-brands), ocean freight (LCL, FCL, cross-trade), road freight (including DDP Smart Border French customs, Turkish/Moroccan specialist markets, Georgia/Azerbaijan/Armenia, and System Alliance Europe membership), rail freight (UK-China rail consol since 2016 plus newer Southeast Asia Air-Rail and Vietnam Truck-Rail services), warehousing and fulfilment, customs brokerage, freight insurance, and a Global Supply Chain Management Control Tower. Its physical footprint spans 23 UK branches and 7 fulfilment centres with 70,000+ pallet positions, plus an overseas Tangier team supporting a 35-unit dedicated UK-Ireland-Morocco trailer fleet and a network of bilateral partnerships (Torrestir for Portugal/Spain, DTCO MAROC, Gebrüder Weiss for the Caucasus, ASTI for China rail). Annual throughput is roughly 268,000 freight consignments and over 10 million units per month for fashion and retail customers.

The company's technology layer rests on three proprietary platforms: FMS (Freight Management System) for shipment booking, tracking, and document retrieval; P2D (Purchase to Delivery) for PO/SKU-level milestone tracking, supplier compliance, carbon emissions monitoring, and EDI/API integration; and an in-house WMS supporting batch/serial/BB date capture, FIFO/LIFO management, and bespoke putaway algorithms. These are augmented by a Milestone Tracking and POD API, Project44 ocean visibility, Pledge carbon emissions tracking, HMRC CDS integration, and Drewry Red Sea Diversion data. Davies Turner is one of the EU's first accredited Authorised Economic Operators (AEO/AEOF), holds ISO 9001/14001/45001 certifications, RoSPA Gold/Gold Medal awards (2023-2025), and EcoVadis recognition.

Commercially, Davies Turner operates a quote-based pricing model with bespoke contracts for warehousing and Control Tower managed services, served primarily through enterprise field sales via 23 UK branches and dedicated account managers, complemented by inside sales (Get a Quote portal, FMS self-service) and channel partnerships (SAE network of 53 partners across 29 countries). Revenue streams combine transaction-fee freight forwarding, recurring managed-service warehousing and Control Tower fees, professional-services customs brokerage, and insurance commissions. Customers span fashion and retail (largest vertical, including Dryrobe, Castore, Sosandar, Hunter, Lyle & Scott), e-commerce and consumer brands (Jonathan Adler, Lovehoney, WD-40, Hornby Hobbies, Budweiser Budvar), medical devices (Owen Mumford), industrial (Albright International, SawStop), and specialist verticals (military, pharmaceuticals, aviation, film and media, fine wine, aquatics, project cargo). No revenue, funding, or cap-table data is publicly disclosed.

Name

Davies Turner

Legal name

Davies Turner PLC

Website

https://daviesturner.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1870

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Davies Turner is a 155-year-old UK independent multi-modal freight forwarder offering air, ocean, road, rail, warehousing, and customs services via 23 branches, 7 fulfilment centres, and proprietary FMS/P2D platforms, serving enterprise customers in fashion, retail, e-commerce, medical, and specialist verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding & Contract Logistics

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Shipper-Carrier Direct Contracting Networks (TLAEAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Real-Time Operational Visibility & Exception Management (TLAEAKAC)

Keywords

• Freight forwarding
• Customs brokerage
• Contract logistics
• Multi-modal transport
• E-commerce fulfilment

Headquarters

HQ city

Coleshill

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Freight Forwarding (Air, Ocean, Road, Rail): Core transactional revenue earned per shipment across modes — full container load, less-than-container load, groupage, part load, full load, express, and cross-trade movements. Customers quoted on shipment-specific pricing via 'Get a Quote' portal or account managers.
2. Warehousing & Fulfilment: Recurring storage and fulfilment revenue from 70,000+ pallet locations across 7 UK fulfilment centres, including e-commerce fulfilment, pallet storage, inventory management, value-added services (kitting, labelling, packing), order processing, and returns management.
3. Customs Brokerage & Compliance: Recurring and transactional customs revenue from import/export declarations, AEO consultancy, duty management, simplified procedures (CFSP, IPR, OPR), tariff classification, landed cost calculations, post-declaration monitoring and process audits.
4. Global Supply Chain Management (Control Tower): Recurring managed-service revenue from a Global Accounts Control Tower providing bespoke management teams, KPI reporting, P2D purchase order management, strategic performance enhancements, and origin services for global brands.
5. Freight Insurance: Commission and fee revenue from all-risk marine cargo insurance and EU/UK road freight insurance offerings, providing coverage for loss, damage and freight charges beyond CMR liability limitations.
6. Specialist Industry Logistics: Specialised freight services for fashion & retail, aquatics, aviation logistics, film & media, fine wine, military, pharmaceuticals and project cargo with tailored compliance, security and handling solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Davies Turner is a UK-based independent freight and logistics provider offering multi-modal freight forwarding (air, ocean, road, rail), in-house customs brokerage, contract warehousing and e-commerce fulfilment across eight UK fulfilment centres, and end-to-end global supply chain management via a Control Tower model. Services are sold directly to enterprise and mid-market customers through 23 UK branches, an online quote portal, and an FMS self-service platform, supported by proprietary digital tools (FMS, P2D, WMS) and a Milestone Tracking API.

Product overview

Davies Turner operates a comprehensive platform-plus-modules architecture spanning five core freight services: Air Freight (Davies Turner Air Cargo with Express courier sub-brand), Ocean Freight (LCL, FCL, cross-trade, and Red Sea Diversion Tracker), Road Freight (including DDP Smart Border, Turkish/Moroccan, and Georgia/Azerbaijan/Armenia specialist markets, plus System Alliance Europe membership), Rail Freight (China Rail, Southeast Asia Air-Rail, Vietnam Truck-Rail), and Fulfilment Services across eight UK centres. These physical services are integrated with Global Supply Chain Management, including a Control Tower and Origin Services, supported by digital platforms: FMS (Freight Management System), P2D (Purchase to Delivery), Project44 Ocean Tracking integration, and a Milestone Tracking and POD API. Customs & Excise (UK CBAM advisory, compliance, brokerage) and Freight Insurance complete the offering, with specialist industry solutions for Fashion & Retail, Aquatics, Aviation, Film & Media, Fine Wine, Military, Pharmaceuticals, and Project Cargo. The UK Distribution Network spans five regional hubs (Bristol, Dartford, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Davies Turner Air Cargo: Brand identity used for the company's air freight division, covering air export, air import, and specialist air cargo services.
• Davies Turner Express

Products and services

• Air Freight Services (Davies Turner Air Cargo) Professional, flexible and efficient air export, air import and specialist air cargo services with Civil Aviation Authority-approved in-house aviation screening and AEO accreditation across a nationwide UK branch network.
• Davies Turner Express Express courier service offering same-day, next-day and economy delivery options with real-time tracking, time-critical bullet vehicles across Europe and Scandinavia, and a global hand-carry onboard courier service.
• Ocean Freight Services (LCL, FCL, Import, Export, Cross-Trade) Comprehensive ocean freight services including Less than Container Load (LCL), Full Container Load (FCL), ocean freight import, export, cross-trade shipping, and shipment tracking through a trusted partner network with Project44-powered digital tracking.
• Road Freight Services European road freight services covering full loads, part loads, groupage, express services and specialist markets including Turkey, Morocco, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, with DDP Smart Border customs clearance for UK-EU shipments.
• Rail Freight Services (UK-China Rail) Direct weekly UK-China rail freight import/export with LCL and FCL, delivering up to 75% cost savings versus air freight and over 80% less CO2 emissions than air.
• Southeast Asia Air-Rail Service Hybrid air-rail service combining air freight from Southeast Asia to Xi'an with rail transit to the UK, offering 23-day typical transit and saving over 20 days versus ocean freight.
• Vietnam Truck-Rail Service Truck-rail service from Vietnam to the UK via Xi'an with two weekly departures from Hanoi and feeder service from Ho Chi Minh, for both LCL and FCL shipments.
• Fulfilment Services & Warehousing State-of-the-art warehousing and fulfilment across eight UK fulfilment centres (Atherstone, Bristol Avonmouth, Bristol Central Park, Birmingham-Coleshill, Dartford, Heathrow, Glasgow, Manchester) including e-commerce fulfilment, pallet storage (70,000+ locations), inventory management, value-added services, order processing, returns management and customs warehousing.
• Global Supply Chain Management (Control Tower) End-to-end supply chain management including a Bespoke Management Team (Control Tower), P2D Purchase Order Management, and Origin Services delivering supplier compliance, KPI reporting, milestone tracking and operational efficiency for global brands.
• Customs & Excise Services In-house customs team offering UK CBAM advisory, customs compliance, brokerage and helpful customs information. AEO (AEOF) accredited with HMRC direct interfaces, EDI integration with CDS, automated clearance, simplified procedures (CFSP, IPR, OPR), ETSF and bonded storage, tariff guidance and audit services.
• Freight Insurance All-Risk Marine Cargo Insurance and EU/UK Road Freight Insurance offerings providing coverage for loss, damage and freight charges beyond CMR liability limitations.
• Specialist Freight Solutions Industry-specific freight solutions including Fashion & Retail (managing over 10M units monthly), Aquatics, Aviation Logistics Network, Film & Media, Fine Wine, Military (founding member of Military Logistics Network), Pharmaceuticals and Project Cargo.
• DDP Smart Border French Customs Solution Pre-lodged Smart Border barcode-based clearance under CPC 4200 and 4000 for UK-EU shipping, with DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) and DAP (Delivered At Place) options delivering 48-hour transit times across Europe and auto-liquidation of French import VAT.
• UK Distribution Network Industry-leading UK distribution network with hubs in Bristol, Dartford, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow providing nationwide freight collection and delivery with 24-48 hour processing for imports and exports via an advanced feeder system.
• Red Sea Diversion Tracker Decision-support tool from Drewry monitoring the Asia-Europe shipping route via the Suez Canal, published every other Tuesday with insights into capacity, freight rates, transit times and fuel consumption.
• FMS (Freight Management System) In-house online shipment portal enabling customers to book, manage and track all shipments in one place, with multiple logins per customer, downloadable .csv reports, live tracking, document retrieval and emissions data powered by Project44.
• P2D (Purchase to Delivery) In-house supply chain tracking and supplier compliance application with PO/SKU-level milestone tracking (planned vs actual), vessel GPS via Project44, supplier order reservation rules, integrated carbon emissions monitoring via Pledge, EDI/API integration and visual delivery calendar.
• Milestone Tracking and POD API JSON-based, API key-authenticated REST API providing milestone status updates, timestamps, tracking logs and Proof of Delivery documents for integration into customer ERP/WMS systems, with bespoke integrations available.
• Turkish and Moroccan Specialist Markets Specialised road freight services for Turkey and Morocco featuring multimodal routes combining truck, rail and RoRo ferry with origin services including warehousing, supplier compliance and quality control. Own fleet of box trailers with honeycomb walls for garments on hangers (GOH).
• Georgia, Azerbaijan & Armenia Specialist Markets Weekly direct road freight service to Georgia via long-term partner Gebrüder Weiss with 12-day depot-to-depot transit and 24-48 hour local distribution, extending to Yerevan, Armenia (2-day) and Baku, Azerbaijan (3-day).

Quantifiable outcome

• 268,000 consignments moved last year
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship / core and minor.

• TorrestircoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 6 November 2025Partnership to integrate overland trailer operations on UK–Portugal trade routes. Torrestir's hubs in Lisbon and Porto connect with Davies Turner's five regional UK hubs (London, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Glasgow), offering multiple weekly departures for full truckload, part load, and express deliveries. The arrangement replaces Torrestir's previous single-entry London model and creates opportunities for joint ADR dangerous goods transport across Portugal and Spain.
• project44flagship / coreTechnology or Integration · 16 October 2025Renewed partnership (originally began in 2022) under which project44 has tracked tens of thousands of ocean freight containers for Davies Turner over the past three years. Both companies are enhancing functionality with new analytics and automation capabilities for port-to-port tracking and performance reporting. project44 is deeply integrated into FMS for real-time ETA, trans-shipment visibility, dwell times, and roll data.
• Air Sea Transport (ASTI)flagship / coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Since 2016, Davies Turner has partnered with Air Sea Transport to deliver pioneering direct UK weekly rail services to/from China. ASTI supervises loading at the Xi'an rail terminal depot, manages the Xi'an CFS for Southeast Asia air-rail consolidation, and operates the Hanoi CFS for Vietnam truck-rail LCL service.
• DTCO MAROCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLong-standing local Moroccan partner supporting the dedicated UK-Ireland-Morocco trailer fleet (35 Krone hanging garment mega trailers). Davies Turner's Tangier-based team works alongside DTCO MAROC to deliver daily full load and groupage services with 4-5 day transit times for fashion, retail and automotive customers.
• Gebrüder WeisscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLong-term partner enabling Davies Turner's specialist Caucasus logistics services. Together they offer weekly direct groupage, part load and full load services from the UK to Georgia with 12-day depot-to-depot transit, plus onward distribution to Yerevan, Armenia (2-day) and Baku, Azerbaijan (3-day). Gebrüder Weiss has operated in the region since 2012.
• System Alliance Europe (SAE)flagship / coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDavies Turner is a proud member of System Alliance Europe — a forward-thinking network of 53 partners and 153 companies across 29 European countries moving 3M+ consignments. The partnership combines flexibility with innovative, tailor-made solutions to deliver efficient Europe-wide freight transactions. Davies Turner is an award-winning partner within the network.
• HMRC (UK Government)coreOthersDirect interfaces to HMRC for automated customs declarations and customs warehousing. Davies Turner holds AEO (AEOF) accredited trusted trader status, operates External Temporary Storage Facilities (ETSF), Designated Export Places (DEP), and Customs Bonded Warehouses across all main hubs, and provides CFSP, IPR and OPR special procedures.
• Military Logistics NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDavies Turner is a founding member of the Military Logistics Network, the largest independent network of logistics providers specialising in the supply chain needs of military and peacekeeping forces. The network provides Davies Turner with specialist reach into defence and peacekeeping contracts.
• EcoVadisminorOthersEcoVadis sustainability assessment partner — Davies Turner holds an EcoVadis sustainability medal (badge displayed on homepage and sustainability page) in recognition of its ESG performance.
• Owen MumfordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term logistics partnership extended (news item dated Sep 03 on homepage). Owen Mumford is a medical device manufacturer served by Davies Turner's fulfilment and freight services.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• DSV: Danish-headquartered global freight forwarder with strong road, air, and ocean capabilities plus Solutions (contract logistics). Comparable to Davies Turner's multi-modal forwarder-plus-fulfilment model, with significantly larger scale following recent Schenker acquisition.
• Yusen Logistics: Japanese-headquartered global logistics company with air, ocean, road, and contract logistics worldwide. Comparable multi-modal forwarder-plus-fulfilment footprint to Davies Turner, with particular strength on Asia-Europe trade lanes relevant to Davies Turner's China rail service.
• XPO Logistics: Global logistics provider with European road freight, contract logistics, and freight forwarding operations. Comparable to Davies Turner's road freight and UK fulfilment offerings but at much larger European scale.
• Kuehne+Nagel: One of the world's largest freight forwarders with global air, ocean, road, and contract logistics operations. Comparable to Davies Turner across all modes Davies Turner operates, but at vastly larger scale and global reach.
• DHL Global Forwarding: Global freight forwarding and supply chain arm of Deutsche Post DHL, offering air, ocean, road, rail and customs services worldwide. Directly comparable multimodal product set to Davies Turner but at global incumbent scale.
• Geodis: French-headquartered global logistics provider with air, ocean, road, rail, contract logistics and customs services. Direct multimodal competitor to Davies Turner with a particularly strong European road and rail footprint overlapping Davies Turner's UK-EU corridor.
• Expeditors International: US-listed global logistics provider focused on air and ocean freight forwarding with customs brokerage. Closely comparable to Davies Turner's air/ocean plus customs core, though less focused on UK domestic fulfilment and road.
• DB Schenker: European-headquartered logistics provider offering land transport, air/ocean freight, and contract logistics. Direct multimodal competitor to Davies Turner with strong European road and rail exposure similar to Davies Turner's UK road network and China rail service.

Regional players

• Palletways: European palletised freight network with strong UK and European road groupage operations. Comparable to Davies Turner's UK Distribution Network and European road freight services at the groupage/palletised segment level.
• Wincanton: UK-headquartered contract logistics and supply chain provider with strong domestic fulfilment and transport operations. Direct comparator for Davies Turner's UK warehousing and fulfilment services on a UK-only geographic basis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Daviesturner

Compliance13 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Davies Turner