Grafters Recruit
Grafters Recruit Limited is a UK-based staffing agency placing HGV drivers, industrial workers, and commercial logistics professionals on temporary and permanent assignments for enterprise clients across retail, parcel delivery, 3PL logistics, and manufacturing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Grafters Recruit does
Grafters Recruit Limited is a UK-based, privately-held staffing agency specialising in the placement of HGV drivers, industrial workers, and commercial logistics professionals across the United Kingdom. Founded around 2009 and headquartered in Wimbledon, London, the firm operates three service divisions — Driving (over 500 drivers placed per day), Industrial (over 200 workers per day, including pickers, packers, FLT drivers and assembly staff), and Commercial (clerical, admin and contact-centre placements) — serving enterprise clients such as Sainsbury's, UPS, Matalan, EVRi, Yodel, Wincanton, B&Q, Poundland, XPO Logistics, Pladis, Howard-Tenens, Great Bear and Turners.
The company runs a Worker-as-a-Service business model, generating revenue through mark-ups on worker wages and placement fees for temporary and permanent hires. Its candidate-acquisition stack combines a website, the DRS Drivers iOS/Android app, four social channels (Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram), a YouTube presence, and a distinctive Mobile Resource Unit that travels to drivers to complete on-the-go registration. Client acquisition is driven by a direct enterprise sales motion supported by an On-Site Services offering that embeds Grafters account managers within customer operations, functioning as an extension of the client's business.
Grafters is REC-membered, GDPR-compliant, and holds the FTA Driver Agency Excellence certification, which provides third-party validation of compliance in regulated HGV staffing. The company also operates the Women in Logistics campaign, a funded-training and guaranteed-placement program targeting women HGV drivers, supported by an FLT training school for industrial candidates. With 11–50 employees and founder-led management (Danny Phillips as Managing Director), Grafters combines an account-managed enterprise distribution model with self-serve candidate tooling.
Grafters Recruit firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Grafters Recruit
- Legal name
- Grafters Recruit Limited
- Website
- https://graftersrecruit.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Grafters Recruit Limited is a UK-based staffing agency placing HGV drivers, industrial workers, and commercial logistics professionals on temporary and permanent assignments for enterprise clients across retail, parcel delivery, 3PL logistics, and manufacturing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Grafters Recruit industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Staffing and Recruitment Services
- NAICS
- Temporary Help Services (561320), Employment Placement Agencies (561311)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Help Supply Services (7363)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Contingent Workforce / Contractor RPO (Contractor Recruiting) (BPACABAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Onsite / Embedded RPO (In-House Recruiter Teams) (BPACABAD), Administrative, Clerical & Office Support Direct Hire (BPACAFAF)
Keywords
Where Grafters Recruit is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Grafters Recruit business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Temporary Staffing/Worker Placement: Grafters Recruit provides temporary and permanent workers to clients across driving, industrial, and commercial sectors. Revenue is generated through mark-ups on worker wages, with employers paying for staffing services.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Grafters Recruit product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Grafters Recruit is a UK-based staffing agency that places temporary and permanent workers into driving (HGV Class 1 and Class 2), industrial (warehouse, production, FLT/MHE), and commercial (office support, traffic and transport) roles for logistics, retail, distribution, and manufacturing employers. The service is delivered through three operating divisions - Driver Division, Industrial Division, and Commercial Division - supplemented by an On-Site managed service with embedded account managers, a Mobile Resource Unit that registers candidates in the field, and the Women in Logistics funded training-to-placement program.
Product overview
Grafters Recruit Ltd is a UK-based staffing and recruitment agency operating as a single unified service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The company provides staffing solutions through three core service divisions: Driver Division (specialising in HGV drivers with 500+ placements daily), Industrial Division (providing 200+ industrial workers daily), and Commercial Division (placing logistics professionals in office support roles). These divisions are supported by On-Site Services managed by dedicated account managers, a Mobile Resource Unit for convenient driver registration, and a Timesheet Submission System for payroll processing. The company also runs a Women in Logistics Campaign offering funded HGV driver training with guaranteed job placements. The Grafters Recruit mobile app (available on iOS and Android) enables workers to access vacancies and register interest. The company serves major clients including Sainsbury's, UPS, Matalan, EVRi, Yodel, Wincanton, B&Q, Poundland, and others.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Women in Logistics: Campaign aimed at helping women explore opportunities of becoming HGV drivers, offering funded training and guaranteed job placements
Products and services
- Driver Division (HGV Driving) Specialist HGV driver staffing division placing over 500 Class 1 and Class 2 drivers per day with major UK hauliers, retailers, and parcel carriers for trunking, store delivery, and multi-drop routes. Includes a CPC driving school and a driver handbook used for induction and assessment.
- Industrial Division Industrial workforce placement division supplying over 200 workers per day across pickers, packers, assembly, production, forklift truck (FLT) drivers, MHE drivers, pallet wrappers, cleaners, export/import counters, hygiene operatives, and team leaders to multi-sector UK organisations. Operates an FLT training school and an Industrial Handbook for candidates.
- Commercial Division Placement service for logistics professionals into blue chip and SMB employers, covering clerical, admin, customer service, reception, transport managers, traffic clerks, account staff, and contact centre roles on a temporary or permanent basis.
- On-Site Services (Managed Service Provider) Embedded staffing solution in which a dedicated Grafters Account Manager is placed on the client site and acts as an extension of the client's own business, managing recruitment, deployment, and ongoing workforce administration.
- Mobile Resource Unit (MRU) Mobile registration unit that travels to candidates to complete driver onboarding on-site, reducing the registration barrier for drivers whose working hours make office visits difficult.
- Women in Logistics Campaign Recruitment and training initiative offering funded HGV driver training (one-third of costs covered up front, remaining balance reimbursed after 100 shifts), guaranteed job placement on qualification, and a support network of female trainers, mentors, and existing women drivers. Average training duration is 8-10 weeks.
- Grafters Recruit Mobile App (DRS Drivers) Mobile application for workers (primarily drivers) to register interest, browse vacancies, and engage with Grafters Recruit on the go, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Quantifiable outcome
- 500+ drivers provided daily to UK hauliers
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Grafters Recruit
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Grafters Recruit technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Grafters Recruit partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Grafters Recruit competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Hays: Global recruitment group with strong UK presence, primarily in professional and white-collar placements. Limited overlap in HGV/industrial, but a benchmark incumbent for enterprise recruitment spend.
- ManpowerGroup UK: Global staffing leader with extensive UK temporary and permanent placement operations, including logistics and industrial. Competes with Grafters on enterprise staffing contracts as part of a wider workforce-solutions portfolio.
- Reed: One of the UK's largest recruitment brands, operating across temporary, permanent, and specialist staffing. Overlaps with Grafters in industrial, driving, and commercial placements, but as part of a much broader portfolio.
- Adecco UK: Global staffing giant with a UK footprint spanning industrial, driving, and commercial placements. Competes with Grafters on enterprise logistics accounts as part of a broad workforce-solutions offering.
Direct peers
- Pertemps: Major UK staffing provider covering industrial, driving, commercial, and professional sectors. Comparable in offering multi-divisional temporary staffing to enterprise clients, with significant overlap in warehouse and logistics placements.
- Gi Group UK: Italian-headquartered global staffing group with a sizeable UK operation covering industrial, logistics, and driving. Competes head-to-head with Grafters for industrial and HGV placements at enterprise clients.
- Acorn Recruitment: UK-based multi-sector recruitment and staffing group with strong industrial, driving, and commercial divisions. Directly comparable to Grafters in scope, sector mix, and enterprise-customer focus.
- Blue Arrow: UK-wide staffing firm supplying drivers, industrial, and office staff. Directly comparable in the temporary-driving and warehouse-staffing segments Grafters serves, with overlapping enterprise client types.
- Driver Hire: UK's largest specialist transport and logistics recruitment franchise, providing HGV drivers, van drivers, and industrial staff on temporary and permanent bases. Direct competitor in Grafters' core HGV/industrial segments with similar customer mix of retailers, 3PLs, and hauliers.
Emerging players
- HRGO: UK recruitment firm with industrial, driving, and commercial capabilities, smaller in scale than Grafters. Comparable in operating model and sector mix, with potential overlap on mid-market logistics clients.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Grafters Recruit social profiles
Digital presenceGrafters Recruit compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Grafters Recruit financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Grafters Recruit leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Grafters Recruit funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Grafters Recruit M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Grafters Recruit
What does Grafters Recruit do?
Grafters Recruit is a UK-based staffing agency that places temporary and permanent workers into driving (HGV Class 1 and Class 2), industrial (warehouse, production, FLT/MHE), and commercial (office support, traffic and transport) roles for logistics, retail, distribution, and manufacturing employers. The service is delivered through three operating divisions - Driver Division, Industrial Division, and Commercial Division - supplemented by an On-Site managed service with embedded account managers, a Mobile Resource Unit that registers candidates in the field, and the Women in Logistics funded training-to-placement program.
Is Grafters Recruit a public or private company?
Grafters Recruit is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Grafters Recruit founded?
Grafters Recruit was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Grafters Recruit based?
Grafters Recruit is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Grafters Recruit make money?
One revenue line is on record: temporary Staffing/Worker Placement.
Who are Grafters Recruit's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Hays, ManpowerGroup UK, Reed and Adecco UK. Direct peers are Pertemps, Gi Group UK, Acorn Recruitment, Blue Arrow and Driver Hire. HRGO is listed as an emerging player.
Does Grafters Recruit have an API?
No public API is recorded for Grafters Recruit.
What industry is Grafters Recruit in?
Grafters Recruit's product category is Staffing and Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACABAK, Contingent Workforce / Contractor RPO (Contractor Recruiting), with a secondary code of BPACABAD, Onsite / Embedded RPO (In-House Recruiter Teams). Its NAICS code is 561320 and its SIC code is 7361.