One of the UK’s fastest growing logistics operators, Europa Worldwide Group, has opened its first ever site in Cambridge, at Cambourne Business Park.
At the start of 2022, Europa announced it was investing half a million pounds in increasing its UK European road freight sales network at its Europa Road division, which provides road freight services for import and export to and from Europe. This came as a result of the company’s sustained and rapid growth.
It chose Cambridge after a substantial amount of research into suitable locations for expansion. The historic City and surrounding geographical area – spanning all the way along the A1 corridor to Peterborough – was identified by Europa Road as a prime location, especially since it had already been earmarked in the Government’s Levelling Up strategy as a key driver in the UK’s post-Covid economic recovery.
Despite the challenges of the global pandemic, the prospects for the European road freight market remain strong. In 2020, it was valued at 324.5 billion euros, which is expected to continue growing. At the end of 2021, there was an overall increase of 27.5 per cent compared to 2010 levels. In the face of the Covid crisis, Cambridge has continued to show economic resilience as a global leader in the commercialisation of new ideas and innovation.
Cambridge City Council’s vision for the area over the next five-years is focused on securing economic success through innovation, something which Europa also prides itself on. The cutting-edge logistics firm strives to set the pace in the market and expand its footprint, whilst all the time offering opportunities along the way for the communities it serves.
Recent research has shown that Cambridge is set to experience rapid growth in employment levels, increasing year-on-year by 2.5%, and adding almost 3,700 new jobs. Cambridgeshire along with Peterborough, has also been identified as a designated international hub of innovative business with a national output of £23.7 billion.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund has allocated £13 million to Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, securing continued confidence in the region’s ability to further boost its economic prospects. The Local Industrial Strategy has set out the vision for the area to remain a core business location which builds an inclusive economy.
Europa Road opens in Cambridge with a team that is headed up by Branch Manager, Elliott Watts, who was promoted into the position following a proven track record at another of Europa Road’s sites in Nottingham. He brings a wealth of experience to the role, having previously succeeded in the transport and logistics sector for over seven years, working up from apprenticeship level at blue-chip brand DHL before joining Europa back in 2019.
Elliott commented: “This is a very exciting new chapter for Europa Road as we seek to grow our small team from the outset. The career progression prospects at Europa have been fantastic, and I am thrilled to have been appointed to lead the Cambridge branch.
There has been a lot of learning on the job, but we’re building a really driven team who are a pleasure to work with. We can’t wait to get stuck in and secure a new customer base across the region to help the business overall achieve its rapid expansion plans.”
Joining Elliott are two account managers, with a third due to start at the end of June. Recruitment continues apace to keep up with the ever-growing demand as new enquiries come in.
Cambridge’s sales area was previously covered by Europa Road’s Dartford base, so having the new branch sit much closer to current and potential customers is already paying dividends as the team gets out and about to meet with more prospects.
Europa Road provides market leading European road freight services, operating the UK’s largest European groupage hub which is situated in Dartford. Its network of 16 UK branches trunk into Dartford, from where freight connects with daily, direct services to 30 continental hubs.
Adrian Redmile, Europa Road’s Branch Network and Sales Director, commented: “We’re delighted to welcome Elliott and his team into the Europa family. The addition of our Cambridge branch illustrates how Europa Road continues to go from strength to strength. By expanding our geographic footprint across the UK, we’re able to put our services right at the heart of the region we are supporting.”
The last few years have been one of major investment and growth for Europa Road which has seen investment of over £5m in Europa Flow – an innovative product which successfully allows goods to move quickly and efficiently between the UK and EU with minimal delays. During Covid-19, the division offered uninterrupted services resulting in increasing consignment volumes of goods going to and from Europe.
Europa Worldwide Group is an ambitious independent logistics operator with three divisions, Europa Road, Europa Air & Sea, and Europa Warehouse, and has featured in The Sunday Times Top Track 250 for the third time. The Group employs over 1,300 across the UK, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, and had a turnover of £300m last year.
