Unsworth

What Unsworth does

Unsworth is a UK-headquartered freight forwarder and customs broker founded in 1974, operating across 1,000+ origins and destinations globally and serving enterprise and mid-market clients in publishing, retail, food & beverage, solar/energy, landscaping, and project cargo verticals. Its revenue model combines transactional freight forwarding (FCL, LCL, air freight), professional customs brokerage services, recurring Pathway platform subscriptions, and managed supply chain optimization services. The company is family-controlled by the Hogg family, with Richard Hogg as Group CEO and Charles Hogg as Chief Commercial Officer; Charles Hogg additionally serves as UK National Chairman of BIFA, providing direct influence over national trade and customs policy.

The company's core technology asset is Pathway, a proprietary cloud-based freight management platform launched in 2019 that delivers real-time shipment tracking, supply chain visibility, analytics dashboards, purchase order management, and API integration with client operating systems. Pathway is structured as a tiered offering — Pathway Core for shipment tracking and Pathway Enterprise for end-to-end supply chain visibility — supplemented by modules (Control Tower, Performance Tracking, Cost Management, API Integration) and vertical-specific tools such as the Book Calculator for publishers and the Carton Calculator for retail carton-level carbon emissions. The platform reportedly eliminates 900 phone calls and 1,700 emails per client and reduces SIVEP customs inspection times from 6 to 2 hours for POAO clients.

Unsworth pursues a hybrid go-to-market combining dedicated enterprise field sales (Key Account Managers, Business Development Managers), inside sales for inbound inquiries, and product-led growth via Pathway's self-service demo booking. Marketing is multi-channel, spanning the corporate website, LinkedIn, knowledge hub content, case studies, white papers, email newsletters, and industry events including the London Book Fair. Customer logos disclosed include Morrisons, Kraft Heinz, Oliver Bonas, and Hornby, with 150 clients onboarded onto Pathway at launch. The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding and holds EcoVadis sustainability accreditation.

Name

Unsworth

Legal name

Unsworth (UK) Limited

Website

https://unsworth.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Unsworth is a UK-based freight forwarder and customs broker, founded in 1974 and family-owned, offering FCL, LCL, and air freight services alongside its proprietary Pathway supply chain visibility platform to enterprise clients across publishing, retail, food & beverage, solar, and project cargo verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Freight Forwarding and Customs Brokerage

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851), Freight Transportation Arrangement (4885)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Ocean Export Forwarding (Booking/VGM/SI/BL) (TLACABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ocean Import Forwarding (Destination Handling/DO/ISF) (TLACABAE), Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG), High-Value & Secure Air Cargo (Valuables, Security Screening, Escort) (TLACAAAH), Trade Compliance & Ocean Regulatory Services (Sanctions/Export Controls) (TLACABAL)

Keywords

• Freight forwarding services
• Customs brokerage services
• Supply chain visibility
• Logistics technology platform
• Freight management solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Freight Forwarding Services: Core freight forwarding services including FCL (Full Container Load), LCL (Less than Container Load), and Air Freight. Revenue generated through shipping fees based on volume, weight, and destination.
2. Customs Brokerage Services: Customs clearance services handling declarations, compliance checks, and duty management for goods moving across borders.
3. Pathway Platform Subscription: Technology platform providing freight management, shipment tracking, and supply chain visibility. Revenue generated through platform access and subscription model for enterprise clients.
4. Supply Chain Optimisation Services: Additional services including purchase order management, API integration, and analytics reporting for supply chain optimisation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Unsworth operates as a technology-based freight forwarder and customs broker, providing international shipping (FCL, LCL, and Air Freight) and customs clearance services across 1,000+ origins and destinations. The company augments its logistics services with Pathway, a proprietary cloud-based freight management and supply chain visibility platform offering real-time shipment tracking, analytics, API integration, and purchase order management.

Product overview

Unsworth operates as a technology-based freight forwarder and customs broker offering a unified platform-plus-modules architecture anchored by the Pathway system. Pathway Core serves as the core freight management platform for shipment tracking and movement management, while Pathway Enterprise extends visibility across the complete supply chain from production to fulfilment. Additional Pathway modules include Control Tower for team collaboration, Shipment Visibility for network oversight, Drag-Drop-Deliver for cargo search, Performance Tracking for logistics analytics, Cost Management for spend monitoring, and Real-Time Tracking for shipment location updates. Specialized tools include the Purchase Order Management module for order visibility, the Analytics Dashboard for reporting, the API Integration module for system connectivity, and the Supply Chain Visibility Platform for cargo analysis. Publishers benefit from the Book Calculator for shipping cost estimation, while retailers use the Carton Calculator for emissions tracking. Core services include FCL Shipping, LCL Shipping, Air Freight, and Customs Brokerage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FCL Shipping

Quantifiable outcome

• Removed 900 phone calls and 1,700 emails from client processes per period
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• CEVA Logistics: Global third-party logistics provider offering freight forwarding, contract logistics, and customs services. Directly comparable service mix to Unsworth, including supply chain visibility tools, but operating at much larger scale with CMA CGM parent backing.
• Yusen Logistics: Global logistics provider offering ocean and air freight forwarding, customs brokerage, and contract logistics. Comparable multi-modal freight forwarding service mix to Unsworth with similar enterprise focus and significant UK operations.
• Agility Logistics: Global freight forwarder and logistics provider with strong presence in emerging markets and integrated supply chain solutions. Comparable to Unsworth across forwarding, customs, and supply chain visibility, but at materially larger scale.
• Maersk Logistics & Services: Integrated logistics arm of A.P. Moller-Maersk, offering end-to-end ocean, inland, customs, and supply chain management services. Comparable to Unsworth's forwarding + customs + supply chain visibility suite, but with owned ocean capacity and global terminal infrastructure.
• DHL Global Forwarding: Global freight forwarding and customs division of Deutsche Post DHL, covering air, ocean, road, and customs clearance. Directly comparable to Unsworth's FCL/LCL/Air Freight plus Customs Brokerage portfolio, but with materially larger scale, network, and enterprise customer base.
• Expeditors International: Global logistics company focused on international freight forwarding (air and ocean) and customs brokerage. Comparable to Unsworth across core forwarding services and customs, with a strong technology platform (CargoWise-like integrations) competing with Pathway.
• Kuehne+Nagel: One of the world's largest freight forwarders offering global ocean, air, road, and customs services across all major trade lanes. Comparable to Unsworth as a multi-modal freight forwarder with customs brokerage and supply chain visibility offerings, but at vastly larger scale and broader geographic coverage.

Emerging players

• Flexport: Venture-backed digital freight forwarder offering ocean, air, trucking, and customs with a technology-first platform. Targets the same mid-market and enterprise shippers as Unsworth but with stronger venture funding, broader network, and a more modern digital experience competing directly with Pathway.

Direct peers

• Woodland Group: UK-headquartered freight forwarder and customs broker with similar mid-market enterprise focus and proprietary technology investments. Closest direct peer to Unsworth in scale, geography (UK/Ireland), service mix (FCL/LCL/Air + customs), and tech-enabled go-to-market.
• Davies Turner: Established UK freight forwarder offering ocean, air, and road transport plus customs clearance with a strong domestic warehouse network. Comparable to Unsworth as a UK-rooted multi-modal forwarder serving enterprise customers across similar verticals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UnsworthUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/UnsworthLife
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unsworth

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

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 Unsworth