Stan Robinson

What Stan Robinson does

Stan Robinson (Stafford) Ltd is a UK family-owned road haulage and logistics company founded in 1970, headquartered in Stafford and operating an independent pallet network across four strategically located depots — Stafford (head office), Willand in Devon, Darlington in the North East, and Glasgow in Scotland — with an additional presence at the Port of Felixstowe. The company provides nationwide next-day and economy pallet distribution, contract and ad-hoc third-party warehousing across more than 300,000 square feet with circa 17,000 racked and 18,000 COMAH-compliant pallet locations, in-house vehicle maintenance (garage services), a VOSA-authorised HGV/PSV test centre, and hazardous-goods transport via ADR-trained drivers.

The company's technology stack integrates the Roadrunner transport management system (TMS), Blue Yonder (Red Prairie) warehouse management system (WMS), R2C fleet and workshop management software, vehicle telematics with forward-facing cameras, Smart Driver Interface (SDI) handheld units, and a customer web portal — connected via EDI and integrated with client systems including SAP. Revenue is generated primarily through transaction-based pallet distribution fees and managed-services warehousing contracts, with ancillary revenue from professional garage and test-centre services. Customers include long-standing enterprise accounts such as Bostik (since 1975) and Tunnock Biscuits (since 1988), alongside broader manufacturing, retail, and hazardous-goods shippers served through direct B2B sales with dedicated account contacts. The business is family-owned and family-managed following founder Stan Robinson's death in April 2012, with no disclosed private equity or institutional ownership.

Name

Stan Robinson

Legal name

Stan Robinson (Stafford) Ltd

Website

https://stanrobinson.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Stan Robinson is a UK family-owned logistics company founded in 1970 operating an independent pallet network across four depots, providing nationwide pallet distribution, third-party warehousing (300,000+ sq ft), hazardous-goods transport, and in-house commercial vehicle maintenance and MOT testing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Stafford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pallet Distribution Services: UK-wide pallet network transportation services offering next day and economy delivery options from single pallets to full loads. Revenue generated through per-shipment transportation fees.
2. Warehousing and Storage Services: Third-party storage solutions with dedicated, contractual, shared user or ad-hoc storage options. Services include pick and pack at full pallet, case or carton level, container de-stuffing, returns, and consolidation. Racked storage capacity of circa 17,000 pallet locations.
3. Garage and Maintenance Services: Vehicle maintenance and repair services for company fleet including vehicle washing, DOE safety inspections, full servicing, curtain repairs, and brake roller testing
4. MOT and Test Centre Services: VOSA approved testing facility offering full range of HGV and PSV annual tests, retests, PG9 clearances, ADR/TIR inspections for external customers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Stan Robinson operates an independent UK pallet distribution network with over 300,000 square feet of warehousing across four depots (Stafford, Glasgow, Darlington, Willand Devon). The company provides next-day and economy pallet delivery, third-party storage with pick and pack, ADR-trained hazardous goods transport, in-house fleet maintenance, and a VOSA-authorised HGV/PSV MOT test centre.

Product overview

Stan Robinson offers a unified logistics and transport service portfolio built around its core transport and distribution network. The company's primary offerings include an independent pallet network for UK transport and distribution services and warehousing solutions spanning over 300,000 square feet across four depots. These core services are supported by complementary add-on modules including Garage Services (in-house vehicle maintenance), MOT Test Centre (VOSA-approved testing facility), and IT Solutions (telematics, WMS, TMS, web portal, and fleet management systems). The IT Solutions platform integrates Blue Yonder (Red Prairie) warehouse management system, SAP ERP systems, and EDI capabilities to provide end-to-end visibility from inventory management through delivery tracking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Midlands Air Ambulance CharityminorOthersStan Robinson provides support to the charity through regular donations and fundraising activities as part of community involvement initiatives.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Palletline: UK pallet distribution network with member-depot model covering nationwide next-day delivery. Directly comparable to Stan Robinson's independent pallet network, though Palletline operates a larger member base; both target the same B2B shipper segment.
• Palletways: Europe's largest pallet network with extensive UK member coverage. Competes head-to-head with Stan Robinson for palletised freight; offers a similar next-day delivery proposition but at significantly greater geographic and member scale.
• Pall-Ex: UK pallet distribution network with member hubs across the country. Most direct competitor to Stan Robinson's independent network model; both serve manufacturing and retail customers requiring next-day and economy pallet services.
• United Pallet Network (UPN): UK pallet network providing nationwide next-day and economy services via member depots. Direct peer to Stan Robinson in service offering, customer type, and network economics; UPN has a larger member footprint across the UK.

Broad incumbents

• Wincanton: One of the largest UK contract logistics and transport providers, offering pallet distribution, warehousing, and dedicated transport alongside broader supply chain solutions. Comparable to Stan Robinson across transport and warehousing, but at substantially larger scale and with public-company governance.
• DHL Supply Chain UK: Global logistics incumbent with extensive UK warehousing, transport, and shared-user distribution operations. Comparable service portfolio (warehousing + pallet transport) but operates at vastly larger scale and as part of a global portfolio; serves the same enterprise customer base.
• XPO Logistics (UK): Major UK and European transport and logistics provider offering palletised freight, dedicated transport, and warehousing. Overlaps with Stan Robinson's pallet distribution and warehousing services but serves customers across a much wider portfolio of logistics products.
• Culina Group: Large UK ambient and temperature-controlled logistics and warehousing group. Comparable on the warehousing and shared-user distribution side; overlaps with Stan Robinson's 3PL warehousing offering and similar enterprise customer profiles.
• Eddie Stobart Logistics: Historic UK road haulage and contract logistics operator offering palletised distribution, warehousing, and dedicated transport. Comparable core product set to Stan Robinson — pallet distribution plus warehousing — but at significantly larger scale across more UK sites.

Regional players

• DX Network Services: UK-based parcel, freight, and secure logistics network operating depot-to-depot and last-mile services. Comparable in operating model (own fleet, depot network, B2B focus) though DX is heavier in parcels and 2-man delivery rather than full pallet loads.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Stan Robinson