National Distribution Service

What National Distribution Service does

National Distribution Service, Inc. (NDS) is a full-service warehouse and delivery firm founded in 1983 and headquartered in Chesterfield, Missouri. The company operates an asset-light model through a curated network of more than 1,400 warehouse partners — agents of the largest van lines and established independent facilities — across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. With 34 employees organized across sales, operations, and administration, NDS offers four core service lines: Planning, Staging, Inventory Control, and Delivery & Pick Up, complemented by industry-specific solutions for restaurant/food service, retail, hospitality, healthcare/assisted living facilities, and large-scale rollouts.

NDS's technology layer consists of SecureTrak, a proprietary web-based inventory tracking program, and a secure customer portal that provides 24/7 access to receiving reports, pack slips, freight bills, and delivery or pick-up tickets. The firm differentiates through independent network selection (not tied to a single van line), assigned account managers, and 100% employee ownership under an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) adopted in 2021.

The revenue model combines managed-services warehousing fees (based on storage duration, weight, and square footage), per-delivery or per-project transaction fees for transportation and set-up services (covering tailgate, inside placement, uncrating, assembly, and debris removal), and embedded project management fees that bundle planning and coordination across multi-vendor, multi-site rollouts. All pricing is quote-based with no publicly disclosed rates. NDS serves enterprise and mid-market customers, with the restaurant industry described as a cornerstone (thousands of projects annually, tens of thousands cumulatively), retail at approximately one-third of annual business, hospitality at approximately 20%, and healthcare and senior living as growing verticals.

Name

National Distribution Service

Legal name

National Distribution Service, Inc.

Website

https://ndsstl.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

National Distribution Service is a 41-year-old, 100% employee-owned (ESOP) full-service warehouse and delivery firm operating through a network of 1,400+ warehouse partners across the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico, serving restaurant, retail, hospitality, and healthcare clients with planning, staging, inventory control, and final-mile delivery services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Logistics Services

NAICS

General Warehousing and Storage (493110)

SIC

Public Warehousing & Storage (4220)

akta.pro primary industry

Asset-Based Warehousing & Distribution Centers (Owned/Leased Facilities) (TLAIAMAB)

Keywords

• Warehouse logistics services
• Delivery and installation
• Facility rollout logistics
• FF&E distribution
• Commercial storage solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Chesterfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Warehouse and Storage Services: NDS provides clients with access to a network of more than 1,400 warehouses nationwide. Services include receiving, storage, and handling of furniture, fixtures, and equipment for facility openings, renovations, relocations, and rollouts. Revenue is generated through warehousing fees based on storage duration, weight, and square footage requirements.
2. Delivery and Pick-Up Services: NDS provides tailored delivery and pick-up services including basic tailgate service, inside placement, and complete set-up (uncrating, assembly, and rubbish removal). Special equipment such as liftgates, blankets, straps, and inside placement are arranged. Revenue is generated per delivery or per-project based on distance, weight, and level of service required.
3. Project Planning and Coordination Services: NDS coordinates all aspects of logistics projects including identifying project locations, selecting the best warehouse facilities, and arranging delivery and set-up. Account managers coordinate details on behalf of clients, including labor assistance and special requirements. Revenue is embedded within overall project management fees.
4. Network of Van Line Agents and Independent Warehouses: NDS leverages a network of over 1,400 warehouse agents from the largest van lines and established independent facilities experienced in commercial storage and distribution services. As an independent firm, NDS selects the best warehouse for each location rather than being constrained by van line affiliations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

National Distribution Service (NDS) is a full-service warehouse and delivery firm providing end-to-end commercial logistics for facility openings, remodels, relocations, and rollouts. Its core offerings span four integrated service stages — Planning, Staging, Inventory Control, and Delivery & Pick Up — covering project coordination, secure storage, shipment documentation, and tailored final-mile delivery with options such as inside placement, uncrating, assembly, and rubbish removal. Services are delivered through a network of more than 1,400 warehouse partners across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, supported by NDS's proprietary SecureTrak inventory-tracking platform.

Product overview

National Distribution Service (NDS) is a full-service warehouse and delivery firm offering a unified logistics platform consisting of four core services: Planning, Staging, Inventory Control, and Delivery & Pick Up. These services work together to manage the complete logistics lifecycle from project planning through final delivery and set-up. The company also provides industry-specific solutions for Restaurant and Food Service, Retail, Hospitality, Healthcare & Assisted Living Facilities, and Rollouts. An additional offering is SecureTrak, a web-based inventory-tracking program available through the customer portal that provides real-time access to all inventory and shipment documentation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Planning Services Coordination service in which NDS's professionals identify project locations, select the best warehouse facilities from a network of more than 1,400 nationwide, and arrange all warehousing and delivery requirements based on product type, weight, and project scope. Designed for businesses executing facility openings, remodels, relocations, and rollouts.
• Staging Services Warehousing receiving service that inspects shipments for visible (and optionally concealed) damage, completes warehouse receiving reports, and holds items in secure storage until delivery or pick up is arranged. Targeted at commercial clients needing safe, damage-checked storage near project sites.
• Inventory Control Services Documentation and tracking service that records every shipment received on NDS receiving reports (including pack slips and freight bills) and exposes them through a secure customer portal so designated company representatives can access inventories and delivery tickets at any time. Built for commercial clients needing audit-ready visibility into stored goods.
• Delivery & Pick Up Services Tailored final-mile delivery and pick-up service offering one-piece-at-a-time, floor-by-floor, phase-based, or single-delivery options, with tailgate service, inside placement, or full set-up including uncrating, assembly, and rubbish removal. Special equipment such as liftgates, forklifts, and floor protection can be arranged. Built for commercial clients needing flexible, project-specific delivery windows.
• SecureTrak Web-based inventory-tracking program available through NDS's secure customer portal, giving clients around-the-clock visibility into inventory levels, receiving reports, pack slips, freight bills, and delivery or pick-up tickets. Designed for commercial clients needing real-time documentation of stored and in-transit goods.

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Largest Van Lines (Warehouse Agents)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNDS's warehouse network includes agents of the largest van lines. These agents provide warehouse capacity across the nationwide network of over 1,400 facilities. NDS uses these van line agents as part of its distribution infrastructure to provide storage and logistics services to end customers.
• Independent Warehouse FacilitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNDS maintains relationships with established independent facilities experienced in commercial storage and distribution services. These independent warehouses complement van line agents in NDS's network of over 1,400 warehouses, providing NDS flexibility to select the best facility for each project based on location and service needs rather than van line affiliation constraints.
• Nearly 240 Partnering Warehouses (Rollout Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn a specific case study for a national restaurant chain rollout to over 1,000 locations, NDS coordinated freight into nearly 240 partnering warehouses to support the distribution of breakfast equipment nationwide. This demonstrates the scale of the warehouse network available for large-scale rollout programs.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Beltmann Integrated Logistics: National FF&E and commercial logistics specialist offering warehousing, inventory management, and final-mile delivery for retail, hospitality, and healthcare customers — closely overlapping NDS's core offering and vertical mix.
• The Suddath Companies: Multi-service logistics provider with a dedicated FF&E and commercial moving/installation practice serving retail, hospitality, and corporate customers; competes head-to-head with NDS on rollout and remodel projects.
• TransGroup Worldwide Logistics: Third-party logistics company with a focus on retail and FF&E distribution, providing warehousing, transportation, and project logistics — directly comparable in customer profile and service scope.
• Mallory Alexander International Logistics: Asset-light 3PL providing warehousing, distribution, and project logistics for retail and commercial customers, with similar national-network-and-account-management model to NDS.
• ARC Worldwide Logistics: Project logistics and commercial relocation/rollout specialist serving retail and hospitality chains, with comparable FF&E and final-mile delivery capabilities.
• AGS Global Logistics: FF&E and commercial logistics provider offering warehousing, delivery, and installation services for retail and hospitality — a close functional analog to NDS's project model.
• Hercules Forwarding: Third-party logistics firm specializing in FF&E logistics and retail/hospitality rollouts, directly competing for similar multi-site project work.

Broad incumbents

• United Van Lines (Sirva): Large van line and corporate relocation/FF&E logistics incumbent whose agent network overlaps with NDS's partner-warehouse footprint; broader portfolio but overlapping commercial customers.
• GXO Logistics: Public contract logistics leader providing warehousing, distribution, and reverse logistics to enterprise retail and consumer customers — overlaps NDS on warehousing and final-mile but at far greater scale and breadth.
• XPO Logistics: Large multi-modal 3PL with asset-based and asset-light logistics services including last-mile and managed transportation for retail/commercial customers — a much broader incumbent that competes for parts of NDS's book.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-distribution-service-nds-

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 National Distribution Service