Rapier Employment
Rapier Employment is a UK-based specialist recruitment agency, founded in 1989, that supplies temporary, contract, and permanent staff — primarily drivers, warehouse operatives, and production workers — to transport, logistics, warehousing, construction, and commercial employers through a 10+ branch nationwide network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersAbingdon, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Rapier Employment does
Rapier Employment Limited is a UK private limited company (Company No. 02374214) founded in 1989, operating as a specialist recruitment agency focused on the transport, logistics, and warehousing sectors. From its principal place of business in Abingdon and registered office in Meriden, the company runs a network of 10+ branch offices across England and supplies temporary, contract, and permanent workers — including LGV/HGV and van drivers, warehouse operatives, forklift drivers, production staff, and construction workers — to logistics, distribution, manufacturing, and home-delivery employers. Alongside its core industrial staffing activity, a dedicated commercial division places permanent professionals in finance, HR, sales, customer service, administration, and operations roles.
The company's service portfolio is supported by a digital layer — the Sabre worker portal for logging start/finish times, availability, and assignment forms, and the ePay electronic payslip system — and by Rapier Career Training, which delivers Driver CPC courses (RTITB/DSA registered, JAUPT approved), Smith System advanced driver training, warehouse equipment training, and fully funded apprenticeships across driving, warehousing, forklift, logistics management, and team leadership, delivered in partnership with accredited providers including Pertemps. The company is a signatory to the UN Global Compact and Stronger Together Agreement and maintains formal modern slavery, GDPR, and gender pay gap disclosures.
Rapier generates revenue through three streams: temporary worker supply (weekly invoicing on 28–30 day terms, with the Employment Business paying workers via PAYE/NI and charging an hourly rate that bundles wages, holiday accrual, employer NI, expenses, commission, pension, and the Apprenticeship Levy); permanent placement and transfer fees (10% of annual wage at 0–300 hours worked, stepping down to 5% at 301–450 hours and 2.5% thereafter, with no fee after 450 hours); and training/apprenticeship services. The go-to-market is sales-led and branch-based, with direct employer engagement across the UK; pricing is not publicly disclosed.
Rapier Employment firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rapier Employment
- Legal name
- Rapier Employment Limited
- Website
- https://rapieremployment.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Rapier Employment is a UK-based specialist recruitment agency, founded in 1989, that supplies temporary, contract, and permanent staff — primarily drivers, warehouse operatives, and production workers — to transport, logistics, warehousing, construction, and commercial employers through a 10+ branch nationwide network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Rapier Employment industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Logistics Staffing Services
- NAICS
- Temporary Help Services (56132)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Warehousing, Distribution & Material Handling Staffing (BPACAEAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Manufacturing & Production Line Staffing (BPACAEAC), National Generalist Staffing Firms (BPACACAI)
Keywords
Where Rapier Employment is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Abingdon
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices11 records
Markets served
Rapier Employment business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Temporary Worker Supply: Supply of temporary agency workers to clients in warehousing and distribution. The Employment Business pays workers and handles PAYE/National Insurance, invoicing clients on a weekly basis with payment terms of 28-30 days.
- Permanent Placement / Transfer Fees: Fees charged when clients directly engage or transfer temporary workers to permanent positions. Transfer fees range from 10% of annual wage (0-300 hours worked) to 2.5% (301-450 hours), with no fee after 450 hours of assignment.
- Training Services: Training services including driver training (RTITB/DSA registered), Driver CPC courses, warehouse equipment training, and apprenticeships delivered through affiliated training providers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Transfer fees based on hours worked |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Rapier Employment product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Rapier Employment supplies temporary, contract, and permanent workforce solutions to transport, logistics, and warehousing employers across the UK through a nationwide branch network. The company complements its core staffing services with a commercial division focused on permanent professional placements and a dedicated training division delivering apprenticeships, Driver CPC, and Smith System driver training. Worker-facing digital tools (Sabre portal and ePay) underpin the staffing offering.
Product overview
Rapier Employment operates as a recruitment and staffing agency, not a software product company. The company offers temporary, contract, and permanent workforce solutions across transport, logistics, warehousing, construction, commercial, industrial, and home delivery sectors, complemented by a dedicated commercial division for permanent professional placements. Their service portfolio is supported by Rapier Career Training (offering driving, warehouse, and management training programmes), apprenticeships, the Sabre worker portal, and the ePay e-payslip system. The company operates a nationwide network of branch offices across the UK.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Temporary Staffing Services Supply of temporary workers — including HGV drivers, warehouse operatives, and logistics personnel — to UK transport, logistics, and warehousing employers on a flexible basis via the branch network.
- Contract Staffing Services Placement of contract workers for transport, logistics, and warehousing employers requiring fixed-term or project-based operational staff.
- Permanent Placement Services Recruitment and permanent placement of operational staff — drivers, warehouse operatives, and logistics personnel — into UK transport, logistics, and warehousing employers on a permanent basis.
- Commercial Recruitment (Permanent Professional Placements) Specialist permanent recruitment service operated as a separate commercial division, placing professional, administrative, sales, and management candidates into UK employers across commercial functions.
- Rapier Career Training (Training Division) Dedicated training division delivering workforce development, compliance, and upskilling courses to the UK transport and logistics workforce, including apprenticeships, Driver CPC, and Smith System defensive driver training.
- Apprenticeships Apprenticeship programmes offered through the Rapier Career Training division, providing structured earn-while-you-learn routes into transport and logistics occupations for candidates and workforce development for employers.
- Driver CPC Training Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) training delivered as a regulated course to professional HGV and PCV drivers and their employers to ensure ongoing compliance with driver hours and road safety requirements.
- Smith System Defensive Driver Training Smith System defensive driver training course delivered to commercial drivers and transport employers to reduce collisions, improve road safety, and lower fleet incident costs.
Companies that use Rapier Employment
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Rapier Employment technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Rapier Employment partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- FlowlineminorRapier Employment is working closely with Flowline, described as a modern, dynamic and fast-growing company. Rapier's Hemel branch handles the relationship. This appears to be a commercial partnership for workforce supply to Flowline's operations.
- United Nations Global Compact AgreementcoreRapier Employment is a signatory to the UN Global Compact Agreement, demonstrating commitment to corporate responsibility and sustainable business practices.
- Stronger Together AgreementcoreRapier Employment is a signatory to the Stronger Together Agreement, showing commitment to ending workforce exploitation. The company participates in Stronger Together initiatives and trains staff on identifying and preventing modern slavery.
- PertempscorePertemps is referenced as the parent company for data protection officer contact and as an accredited training provider for warehouse and forklift training. Rapier offers apprenticeships and training services in partnership with Pertemps.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Rapier Employment competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- ManpowerGroup UK: UK arm of ManpowerGroup offering temporary staffing, permanent placement, and workforce solutions across logistics, industrial, and commercial sectors. Broad incumbent — overlapping temp supply capability but with much broader sector coverage.
- Adecco UK: UK arm of global staffing giant Adecco Group, providing temporary and permanent staffing across industrial, logistics, driving, and professional segments. Broad incumbent — overlapping warehouse and logistics temp supply but operates across many verticals.
- Reed Specialist Recruitment: One of the largest UK staffing brands with a national branch network covering driving, industrial, commercial, and professional roles. Broad incumbent — competes across Rapier's verticals but does not specialize exclusively in transport/logistics.
- Hays UK: UK arm of global recruitment firm Hays, with significant permanent and contract placement activity across professional and commercial roles. Broad incumbent — overlaps with Rapier's commercial division for permanent placements but does not focus on driving/warehouse.
Direct peers
- Gi Group: Global staffing group with strong UK presence in logistics, industrial, and driving staffing. Direct peer — operates in the same transport/logistics/warehouse verticals with a comparable mix of temporary and permanent placements.
- Blue Arrow: UK staffing firm supplying temporary and permanent workers across driving, logistics, warehouse, and industrial roles. Direct peer — core same verticals (driving, warehouse, logistics) and multi-branch UK delivery model.
- Driver Hire: UK's largest specialist transport and logistics recruitment franchise, supplying drivers and warehouse staff nationwide. Direct peer — same transport/logistics/warehousing vertical, same temp and permanent placement model, and franchise-based branch network.
- Staffline Group: UK-listed provider of staffing and workforce solutions with major exposure to logistics, driving, and industrial sectors. Direct peer — overlapping blue-collar and driving verticals, large branch network, and similar temporary-to-permanent placement economics.
- HR GO plc: UK-listed recruitment firm focused on industrial, driving, and commercial staffing across multiple branches. Direct peer — comparable multi-branch UK staffing model with similar driving, warehouse, and commercial segment mix.
- Pertemps: Major UK recruitment group already operating as Rapier's training and compliance partner. Direct peer — same generalist staffing model with significant logistics and commercial coverage, and a strategic partnership that creates both supply and competitive overlap.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Rapier Employment social profiles
Digital presenceRapier Employment compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Rapier Employment financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rapier Employment leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Rapier Employment funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Rapier Employment 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 Rapier Employment
What does Rapier Employment do?
Rapier Employment supplies temporary, contract, and permanent workforce solutions to transport, logistics, and warehousing employers across the UK through a nationwide branch network. The company complements its core staffing services with a commercial division focused on permanent professional placements and a dedicated training division delivering apprenticeships, Driver CPC, and Smith System driver training. Worker-facing digital tools (Sabre portal and ePay) underpin the staffing offering.
Is Rapier Employment a public or private company?
Rapier Employment is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Rapier Employment founded?
Rapier Employment was founded in 1989. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Rapier Employment based?
Rapier Employment is headquartered in Abingdon, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Rapier Employment make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Temporary Worker Supply is the primary driver. The others are permanent Placement / Transfer Fees and training Services.
Who are Rapier Employment's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are ManpowerGroup UK, Adecco UK, Reed Specialist Recruitment and Hays UK. Direct peers are Gi Group, Blue Arrow, Driver Hire, Staffline Group, HR GO plc and Pertemps.
Does Rapier Employment have an API?
No public API is recorded for Rapier Employment.
What industry is Rapier Employment in?
Rapier Employment's product category is Logistics Staffing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAEAD, Warehousing, Distribution & Material Handling Staffing, with a secondary code of BPACAEAC, Manufacturing & Production Line Staffing. Its NAICS code is 56132 and its SIC code is 7361.