Denholm Logistics Group

What Denholm Logistics Group does

Denholm Logistics Group is a UK-headquartered logistics and maritime services division of J. & J. Denholm Limited, a five-generation family-owned conglomerate founded in 1866. The group operates through several specialist subsidiaries: Denholm Good Logistics (international freight forwarding, customs brokerage, project forwarding, and supply chain management), Denholm UK Logistics (warehousing, container management, and haulage with over 1.5 million square feet across 7 warehouses and 300+ subcontractors), Denholm Port Services (ship agency across all major UK ports, held as a joint venture with Wilh. Wilhelmsen Holding Invest AS, handling more than 5,000 port calls annually), Hamilton Shipping Port Services (ship agency across Ireland), Scruttons (bulk and breakbulk stevedoring at Port of Belfast and Dublin Freight Terminal), and Lacy & Middlemiss (short-sea shipping and timber liner services between the UK, Baltics, Scandinavia, and the Mediterranean, established 1973).

The underlying technology centres on a computerized tracking network providing real-time shipment visibility across the group, supported by a shared systems architecture that enables cross-divisional coordination. Core revenue mechanics are transaction-fee based: freight forwarding, ship agency, stevedoring, warehousing, and short-sea chartering are each priced per shipment or service engagement. Commercial activity is enterprise-field-sales-led, with logistics specialists engaging customers directly to scope tailored solutions across the UK and Ireland. The group is certified to ISO 9001 (BSI), holds HMRC AEO status and BRC Global Standard for Storage and Distribution, and holds memberships in BIFA, BIMCO, ICS, RHA, WCAworld, WPA, WWPC, and cruise industry associations; the parent reports 1,895 employees across the UK, Ireland, Turkey, and the USA for the financial year ending 31 December 2025.

Name

Denholm Logistics Group

Legal name

Denholm Logistics Group Limited

Website

https://denholm-logistics.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1866

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Denholm Logistics Group is the UK and Ireland logistics and maritime division of J. & J. Denholm Limited, delivering freight forwarding, ship agency, stevedoring, warehousing, and short-sea shipping through specialist subsidiaries serving shipowners, cargo owners, import/export businesses, and cruise operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Logistics Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Marine Cargo Handling (48832), Other Warehousing and Storage (493190)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Public Warehousing & Storage (4220), Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412)

akta.pro primary industry

Terminal Cargo Handling & Yard Operations (Receiving, Staging, Delivery) (TLAHALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Container Yards & Inland Depot Storage (Empty Container Depots/ICDs) (TLALAAAI)

Keywords

• Freight forwarding
• Ship agency services
• Warehousing distribution
• Port marine services
• Customs brokerage

Headquarters

HQ city

Liverpool

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Freight Forwarding Services: International freight forwarding services including sea, air, road and rail transport. Services cover project forwarding, supply chain management, customs clearance, and global logistics solutions.
2. Ship Agency Services: Ship agency services handling port calls for vessel owners, managers and charterers. Services include cruise, container, navy, bulk cargo, tanker and offshore vessel handling across all major UK ports.
3. Stevedoring Services: Stevedoring operations providing expert handling of cargo including grains, cement, coal, fertilizer, steel, timber and project cargoes at Port of Belfast and Dublin Freight Terminal.
4. Warehousing and Distribution: Warehouse and distribution services operating 7 warehouses with over 1.5 million square feet of covered storage, including port-centric and bonded warehouses. Services include receiving, handling, storing, picking, packing and distribution of goods.
5. Short Sea Shipping / Chartering: Timber liner services and short sea shipping operations between UK, Baltics and Scandinavia. Full and part-cargo charters for short-sea shipments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Denholm Logistics Group is an integrated UK and Ireland logistics and maritime services provider, comprising specialist operating companies that deliver international freight forwarding, ship agency, stevedoring, short sea shipping, port-centric and bonded warehousing, customs clearance, and general haulage/distribution to enterprise customers. Services are delivered directly by dedicated operating companies operating 7 warehouses with over 1.5 million square feet of covered storage, a fleet supplemented by 300+ subcontractors, and ship agency capabilities handling more than 5,000 port calls per year across major UK ports.

Product overview

Denholm Logistics Group offers a portfolio of specialist logistics and maritime services through multiple sub-brands: Denholm Good Logistics (freight forwarding, customs, warehousing, distribution, project forwarding, and tracking), Denholm UK Logistics (warehousing, container management, and haulage), Denholm Port Services (ship agency across UK ports), Hamilton Shipping Port Services (ship agency for Ireland), Scruttons (stevedoring in Belfast and Dublin), and Lacy & Middlemiss (short sea shipping and chartering). The group provides integrated end-to-end supply chain solutions from source to destination, combining international freight forwarding with port-centric warehouse and distribution services across the UK and Ireland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Denholm Good Logistics: Creative, cost-effective supply chain management and logistics services including freight forwarding, customs, warehouse and distribution, projects, port and liner agency, carbon offsetting, and real-time tracking.
• Denholm Port Services
• Hamilton Shipping Port Services
• Scruttons
• Lacy & Middlemiss

Products and services

• Denholm Good Logistics

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5,000 port calls handled per year by Denholm Port Services
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 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

One partnership is on record.

• Wilh. Wilhelmsen Holding Invest AScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDenholm Port Services is a jointly owned investment between Denholm Logistics Group Limited and Wilh. Wilhelmsen Holding Invest AS. This joint venture combines Denholm's UK port agency expertise with Wilh. Wilhelmsen's global maritime capabilities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wincanton: UK's largest third-party logistics provider offering contract warehousing, transport, and home delivery; directly comparable to Denholm UK Logistics' warehousing, distribution, and 3PL offerings for enterprise customers.
• Eddie Stobart Logistics: Major UK road haulage and contract logistics operator providing warehousing, distribution, and multimodal freight services across the UK and Ireland; directly overlaps with Denholm's general haulage and 3PL offerings.
• Maritime Transport: UK-based port-centric haulage and container logistics operator with deep UK port presence; competes head-to-head with Denholm UK Logistics in container haulage, port-centric warehousing, and distribution across major UK ports.
• Uniserve: UK-headquartered freight forwarding and logistics group offering sea, air, and road freight plus supply chain management; directly comparable to Denholm Good Logistics' international freight forwarding and customs brokerage services.

Broad incumbents

• DHL Supply Chain: Global contract logistics leader with extensive UK warehousing and distribution footprint; competes with Denholm UK Logistics in 3PL, warehousing, and supply chain services at much greater scale and technology depth.
• CMA CGM: Global container shipping and logistics group with growing inland logistics arm (CEVA Logistics); competes with Denholm across freight forwarding, port agency, and contract logistics as a much larger integrated maritime-to-door provider.
• Kuehne+Nagel: One of the world's largest freight forwarders with full multimodal capabilities; directly competes with Denholm Good Logistics in international sea/air freight forwarding but operates on a vastly larger global scale.
• P&O Ferries / DP World Logistics: DP World is a global port operator and logistics provider with significant UK/Ireland presence; overlaps with Denholm Port Services in port agency and terminal operations, and competes in contract logistics on a much larger scale.

Regional players

• DFDS: Danish-headquartered ferry and logistics operator running shipping routes and contract logistics across Northern Europe including UK and Ireland; comparable in short-sea shipping and Northern European freight flows to Lacy & Middlemiss.

Others

• Associated British Ports (ABP): UK's largest port operator owning and operating 21 ports; adjacent rather than direct competitor, but operates in the same UK port ecosystem and could be a customer, partner, or competitive constraint for Denholm's port services and stevedoring divisions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/denholm-logistics-group

Compliance18 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries6 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 Denholm Logistics Group