What Longs Of Leeds does

Longs of Leeds (legal entity J Long & Sons (Haulage) Ltd) is a UK road haulage, pallet distribution and warehousing operator founded in 1918 and headquartered in Cross Gates, Leeds, with a second depot at Hull's Queen Elizabeth Docks. The business runs a fleet of more than 100 trucks (up to 44-tonne articulated, predominantly DAF XF 105 Euro 6) and 140 trailers, complemented by 90,000 sq ft of secure, BRC AA-grade warehousing at Leeds that supports cross-docking, pick-and-pack and computerised stock control. Palletised freight is delivered UK-wide via the company's own fleet and the Pall-Ex overnight network, with next-day, economy and timed-retail booking options exposed through the MyNexus portal and Longs' own customer portal.

The company serves a mix of customer segments: enterprise and multinational food/beverage customers requiring BRC-accredited storage, mid-market retailers and distributors using the Pall-Ex Retail Plus Service for store deliveries, and long-tail SMBs and sole traders using warehousing for raw ingredients, packaging, FMCG, finished goods and paper. GTM is direct, quote-based, and account-managed, with no public pricing, supported by a 10+ person operations team running live satellite tracking and route planning. The business was family-controlled through four generations of the Long family until October 2025, when Expect Distribution acquired the company as part of its UK warehousing and logistics expansion strategy.

Name

Longs Of Leeds

Legal name

J Long & Sons (Haulage) Ltd

Website

https://longsofleeds.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1918

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Longs of Leeds is a UK haulage, pallet distribution and BRC-accredited warehousing operator (founded 1918), running 100+ trucks and 90,000 sq ft of storage from Leeds and Hull depots for food, FMCG, retail and SMB customers; acquired by Expect Distribution in October 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Leeds

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Haulage and Distribution Services: Longs of Leeds provides pallet, part load, and full load distribution across the UK using a fleet of over 100 vehicles ranging up to 44 tonne articulated lorries. Services include 2-3 day and next day delivery options.
2. Warehousing and Storage Services: The company offers dedicated warehousing facilities with 90,000 sq feet of storage space, including 24-hour security, BRC accreditation for food storage, cross-docking, pick and pack services, and reworking/added value services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Longs of Leeds is a UK transport and logistics company providing professional haulage (pallet, part load, full load), nationwide distribution, and BRC-accredited warehousing and storage services. It operates a fleet of over 100 trucks and 140 trailers from its Leeds headquarters and Hull depot, serving manufacturing, retail, and small business customers across the United Kingdom.

Product overview

Longs of Leeds is a family-owned haulage business offering a unified logistics service combining distribution/delivery and warehousing/storage operations. The core offerings consist of Distribution and Delivery Services (pallet, part and full load distribution across the UK using a fleet of 100+ vehicles) and Storage and Warehousing Services (90,000 sq feet of secure warehousing with BRC accreditation). Supporting these core services are the Pall-Ex Pallet Distribution membership for overnight pallet delivery, a Customer Portal for tracking, and a Driver Training Programme. All services operate from the Leeds headquarters with a depot in Hull.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Distribution and Delivery Services

Quantifiable outcome

• BRC AA grade - highest standard possible for food and food-related products storage and distribution
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Pall-ExcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1998Longs of Leeds has been a member of the Pall-Ex overnight pallet system since 1998. This partnership enables next day and economy pallet distribution for customers, with guaranteed next day deliveries and timed booking slots. The relationship provides access to the wider Pall-Ex network and MyNexus booking/tracking software for customers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Culina Group: Culina Group is one of the UK's largest temperature-controlled and ambient logistics providers with extensive warehousing. It competes with Longs for ambient FMCG and food-grade warehousing contracts at a much larger scale.
• Eddie Stobart Logistics: Eddie Stobart (now operating under Culina ownership structures) is a UK road haulage and contract logistics incumbent with a large articulated fleet and warehousing. Directly comparable activity set to Longs but at substantially greater scale.
• Wincanton: Wincanton is a leading UK contract logistics provider offering transport, warehousing, and home delivery. It is a broad incumbent serving the same retail, FMCG, and manufacturing customers as Longs of Leeds, but at national scale.
• Yusen Logistics (UK): Yusen Logistics offers UK and European warehousing, road transport, and supply chain solutions. Its shared-user warehousing and road freight model directly competes for similar FMCG and retail 3PL customers as Longs of Leeds.
• XPO Logistics (now GXO Logistics): XPO/GXO is a global contract logistics provider with UK operations in warehousing, reverse logistics, and transport management, serving many of the same enterprise customers as Longs of Leeds.
• DHL Supply Chain UK: DHL Supply Chain operates the largest UK contract logistics network with warehousing and transport management services. It competes for the same enterprise 3PL contracts that Longs serves, especially for retailers and FMCG.

Direct peers

• Palletline: Palletline is a UK pallet network that competes head-to-head with Pall-Ex for next-day pallet distribution. Longs of Leeds, as a Pall-Ex member, runs the same pallet-network-haulage-plus-warehousing playbook that Palletline members operate.
• Bibby Distribution: Bibby Distribution is a UK contract haulage and warehousing provider serving similar mid-market and enterprise customers with shared-user and dedicated fleet services, directly overlapping Longs' pallet, part-load, and full-load model.
• Maritime Transport: Maritime is a UK container haulage and warehousing operator with multiple depots and a similar dual-service (transport + storage) model to Longs of Leeds, including port-linked operations. Comparable in fleet scale, depot footprint, and 3PL offering.
• Pall-Ex Group: Pall-Ex operates the UK pallet distribution network that Longs has been a core member of since 1998. Both serve UK shippers with overnight palletised freight and compete for the same category of mid-market and enterprise pallet volumes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LongsofLeeds

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Longs Of Leeds