Leading UK logistics firm Europa Worldwide Group is looking for locations for a new base in Liverpool as part of a £500,000 expansion. Tony McDonough reports

One of the UK’s leading logistics firms Europa Worldwide Group is to open a new base in Liverpool in a £500,000 expansion drive.

Dartford-based Europa, which employs more than 1,100 people in the UK and Hong Kong and turns over £260m a year, says it is currently looking for a location for the Liverpool branch which will initially employ five people from May 1, which it expects to double.

Operating across five divisions – Europa Road, Europa Air & Sea, Europa Warehouse, Europa Contact Centre and Continental Cargo Carriers – the business will open the Merseyside operation as an extension of its Europa Road arm.

The division provides European road freight services, operating the UK’s largest European groupage hub which is located in Dartford. Its network of 13 UK branches trunk into Dartford from where freight connects with daily, direct services to 30 continental hubs.

In its 50-plus year history Europa has never had a presence in Liverpool and has chosen the city after a substantial amount of research into suitable locations to expand into. Its closest site in the region is in Manchester.

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It was particularly attracted by the 3,000-plus manufacturers in the city region, which contribute £3.2bn to the local economy. They include a mix of blue-chip companies such as Jaguar Land Rover, Unilever, Pilkington as well as SMEs, engineering and fabrication companies and manufacturing start-ups.

Later this year, Liverpool city region will also become one of eight new English Freeport zones. It will cover multiple locations including the Port of Liverpool, Wirral Waters, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, logistics sites in Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and West Lancs and the Stobart rail freight terminal in Halton.

Adrian Redmile, branch network and dales director, said: “It’s an extremely exciting time for Europa and we’re delighted to be launching in Liverpool very soon. Our strategy is to deliver excellent customer service via locally managed channels putting our products and services at the heart of the region we are servicing.

“Enhancing our sales network is an important part of our national strategy to fill the gaps and thus increase our footprint across the country. Having a local team means we will be able to support Liverpool’s growing supply chain and support them with import and export – specifically on our pan European daily services.”

Europa is also opening two other sites in Cardiff and Cambridge at the same time. Mr Redmile added: “We will be able to support local businesses to reduce admin and cost from the supply chain, whilst improving transit times.”