Biddulphs International

What Biddulphs International does

Biddulphs International is the largest independent (family-owned) moving company in Southern Africa, founded in 1928 by Fred Biddulph in Harare and now in its fourth generation of family ownership. The company operates 14 branches across South Africa plus 3 in Zimbabwe and 1 in Botswana — 18 locations in total — supported by an owned fleet of approximately 180 vehicles and roughly 800 staff, and reports cumulative volumes of 400,000+ international moves and 2.5 million+ domestic moves. Its service portfolio spans core moving products (Local Moving, Long Distance Moving, International Moving via sea/air/land freight, Business Moving with project management, and Commercial Distribution) and add-on modules (Self Storage at four locations with units priced ZAR 799-1,999/month, Palletised Warehouse Storage, Packing Services, Transit Insurance administered by Aon South Africa, Vehicle and Pet Transport, and Move Planning resources).

The business model is primarily quote-based, project-driven professional services with off-peak dynamic pricing (up to 33% below peak rates for mid-month bookings), supplemented by recurring monthly self-storage revenue. Biddulphs goes to market through a consultative, sales-led motion with dedicated removal consultants, a two-step website quote funnel, and a 14-branch physical network; cross-border flows are enabled by Harmony Relocation Network membership (140+ members across 60 countries) and FIDI FAIM accreditation for international quality assurance. Customers are a hybrid mix of long-tail residential households and a marquee enterprise book spanning mining (Anglo Gold Ashanti, Anglo American), banking (Standard Bank, FNB), energy (Eskom, Sasol), telecommunications (Telkom), insurance (Aon), beverage (SAB), conglomerates (Bidvest, Old Mutual), and government (Mpumalanga Provincial Government, Land Affairs, National Library of South Africa). Notable technical and operational differentiators include a TETA-accredited in-house training academy at Johannesburg (the first of its kind in South Africa), ISO 9001:2015 certification at three major branches (2024-2027), BBBEE Level 2 Contributor status with 125% procurement recognition (2025-2026), and a wholly-owned recycling subsidiary (Duma Recycling).

Name

Biddulphs International

Legal name

Biddulphs International

Website

https://biddulphs.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1928

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Biddulphs International is the largest family-owned moving and logistics company in Southern Africa, founded in 1928, operating 14 South African branches plus Zimbabwe and Botswana with an 180-vehicle fleet and 800 staff, serving residential households, cross-border movers, and enterprise clients across mining, banking, energy, and government.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Moving & Logistics Services

NAICS

Used Household and Office Goods Moving (48421), General Rental Centers (5323)

SIC

Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340), Public Warehousing & Storage (4220)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Moving with Packing/Unpacking Add-On (HSAKAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Door-to-Door Household Goods International Moving (HSAKACAA), Local Storage-to-Home / Home-to-Storage Moves (HSAKAAAL)

Keywords

• Furniture removals
• International relocation
• Commercial logistics
• Self storage
• Transit insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Pretoria

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Furniture Removals & Moving Services: Core revenue from local, national, and international furniture removal services for residential and commercial customers. Services include packing, transportation, unpacking, and furniture placement.
2. Storage Solutions: Revenue from self-storage units and palletised warehouse storage. Self-storage offers individual units at monthly rates (R799-R1,999/month), while palletised storage provides cost-effective containerized storage with professional inventory management.
3. Transit Insurance: Insurance administration services underwritten by international insurance company, administered by Aon South Africa. Offers all-risk, door-to-door coverage for domestic and international moves, covering household goods, personal effects, antiques, fine arts, and automobiles.
4. Packing Services: Professional packing services including full packing, partial packing, fine art and antiques handling, export packing, unpacking services, and specialised cartons for paintings, mirrors, TVs, bicycles.
5. Commercial Distribution: Logistics services for moving consumer goods throughout Southern Africa using a fleet of 180 vehicles. Services include bulk purchasing agreements, direct sales distribution, and full distribution network management.
6. Vehicle & Pet Transport: Specialized transport for vehicles (cars, motorcycles, boats, caravans) and pets. National transport on specialized carriers; international shipping in containers with protective frames.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Biddulphs International is the largest independent moving company in South Africa, providing local, national, and international furniture removal services for residential and commercial customers. The core offering covers end-to-end relocation including packing, transportation, unpacking, and furniture placement, complemented by self-storage units, palletised warehouse storage, professional packing services, transit insurance administration (via Aon South Africa), and commercial distribution of consumer goods across Southern Africa using a fleet of approximately 180 vehicles.

Product overview

Biddulphs International operates as a furniture removal and logistics company offering a comprehensive suite of moving and storage services. The core service portfolio includes Local and Long Distance Moving (national moves across South Africa), International Moving (sea freight via FCL/groupage, air freight, and land freight), Business Moving (corporate relocations with project management), and Commercial Distribution (logistics for consumer goods across Southern Africa using 180 vehicles). These core services are complemented by add-on modules including Self Storage (individual units at 4 locations), Palletised Storage (warehouse storage with inventory management), Packing Services (professional packing with TETA-accredited training), Transit Insurance (all-risk coverage administered by Aon South Africa), Vehicle & Pet Transport (specialized transport for vehicles and pets with import compliance), and Move Planning resources. The company serves both residential and commercial customers with a network of 14 branches in South Africa, 3 in Zimbabwe, and 1 in Botswana.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Local Moving Furniture removal services for local moves within South Africa, covering small flats to major households for residential customers.
• Long Distance Moving National moves across South Africa for residential customers, with savings of up to 33% during off-peak periods.
• International Moving Global relocation services offering comprehensive sea freight (FCL and groupage), air freight, and land freight options for moves to and from South Africa for residential and corporate customers.
• Business Moving Office and corporate relocation services with dedicated project managers, planning schedules, after-hours moves, and IT equipment handling to minimize business disruption for enterprise clients.
• Commercial Distribution Professional logistics services for moving consumer goods throughout Southern Africa using a fleet of 180 vehicles, with warehousing and cross-border operations into Zimbabwe and Botswana for commercial customers.
• Self Storage Individual storage units in various sizes (10-30m²) with 24/7 security monitoring, accessible during business hours with month-to-month flexibility for residential and small business customers.
• Palletised Storage Containerized warehouse storage for households and businesses with professional inventory management, cost-effective for long-term storage needs. Pallets are delivered, packed and sealed on-site, then transported to secure warehouses.
• Packing Services Professional packing services including full packing, partial packing, fine art and antiques handling, export packing, and specialised cartons, with packers trained at TETA-accredited training centre.
• Transit Insurance All-risk, door-to-door insurance coverage for domestic and international moves, underwritten by international insurance company and administered by Aon South Africa, covering household goods, antiques, fine arts, and automobiles.
• Vehicle & Pet Transport Specialized transport services for vehicles (cars, motorcycles, boats, caravans) and pets including documentation assistance, import compliance guidance, and kenneling arrangements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Save up to 33% on moving costs by booking during off-peak periods (mid-month vs month-end)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Harmony Relocation NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1992Biddulphs is a member of Harmony Relocation Network, founded in 1992. The network consists of 140+ locally owned members in 60 countries serving 180+ countries across 6 continents. All members are co-owners of the network, providing the same level of high-quality services, local expertise, and personal commitment.
• FIDI (Fédération Internationale Déménageurs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiddulphs is a member of FIDI, the global alliance of professional international moving companies. FIDI FAIM accreditation ensures the highest standards of service quality. Membership ensures that moving partners comply with strict international FIDI FAIM quality standards for international relocations.
• International Association of Movers (IAM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of IAM, the leading international trade association for companies that move personal belongings and household goods globally.
• British Association of Removers (BAR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of BAR International, the professional body for the removals industry providing quality assurance standards.
• Road Freight Association (RFA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of RFA, ensuring adherence to the highest industry standards for road freight transport with strict safety, regulatory, and professional requirements.
• Accredited Movers of Southern Africa (AMOSA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccredited member demonstrating commitment to ethical business practices and service excellence in the Southern African moving industry.
• CGSO (Corporate Governance and Safety Organisation)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipant member of CGSO, contributing to corporate governance and safety standards in South Africa.
• Aon South AfricacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerInsurance administered locally by Aon South Africa in Pretoria. Aon handles claims administration and provides professional insurance services for transit coverage. The insurance program is underwritten by an international insurance company.
• Transport Education and Training Authority (TETA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiddulphs' training academy at the Johannesburg branch is accredited by TETA, South Africa's Transport Education and Training Authority, ensuring professional training standards for staff.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AGS Worldwide Movers: AGS Worldwide Movers is a global FIDI-accredited international moving and relocation company with a comparable service portfolio (international, domestic, storage, corporate). It directly competes with Biddulphs in cross-border moves involving South Africa and operates a similar partner-network model.
• Cartus: Cartus is a major global relocation services company (owned by Realogy/Realogy Holdings), providing household goods moving, storage, and destination services to corporate clients. It competes with Biddulphs for multinational corporate move programmes routing through South Africa.
• SIRVA: SIRVA is one of the world's largest global relocation and moving services companies, offering household goods moving, storage, and relocation program management. It competes with Biddulphs for multinational corporate relocation contracts and uses the same FIDI-style global partner network model.
• Graebel Companies: Graebel is a large global relocation and moving services company offering household goods moving, storage, and corporate mobility programs. It is a direct competitor in enterprise and government relocation contracts and shares the FIDI-accredited partner-network delivery model.
• Santa Fe Relocation: Santa Fe Relocation is a global mobility and moving services provider (formerly Santa Fe Group/Waldorf), with international household goods moving, storage, and destination services. It directly overlaps with Biddulphs' international moving, storage, and corporate relocation offerings.
• Crown Relocations: Crown Relocations is a long-established international moving and relocation specialist with FIDI membership, offering local, long-distance, and international household goods moving plus storage and immigration services. It is a direct competitor in international moves to/from South Africa via the FIDI/Harmony ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Pickfords: Pickfords is one of the UK's oldest and largest moving companies, offering domestic and international household goods removals, storage, and corporate relocation. It is a broader incumbent in international moving with BAR membership, comparable to Biddulphs on international quality standards.
• UniGroup: UniGroup is the parent of United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit, one of the largest household goods moving networks in North America. It is a broader incumbent in the same product category (household goods moving) but operates at a much larger scale and on a different geography.

Regional players

• Triton Express: Triton Express is a South African road freight and logistics company with a national fleet and cross-border capability into SADC. It is an adjacent regional player competing with Biddulphs' commercial distribution and cross-border freight lines rather than residential moves.
• Eezi Movers: Eezi Movers is a South African national moving company offering local, long-distance, and cross-border household goods removals. It is a regional competitor to Biddulphs inside South Africa across the same residential and corporate customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BiddulphsInt
• Facebookfacebook.com/BiddulphsInternational

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Biddulphs International