Essex-based Britannia Moovit & W. Harris celebrated 50 years in the removals business last October with a surprise party for its founders John and Christine Wicks.
The couple’s son Tom now runs the business with his sister Jo Jopson.
Moovit Transport Services as it was then called, started life in Braintree, Essex and, like many family-run businesses, began in a very modest way with a single van and a shed for an office. It’s strap line, ‘Prove it with Moovit!’ became well known in the local area. A major milestone came two years after opening, in 1970, when John and Christine bought a long-established Essex moving business, W. Harris of Chelmsford. The company joined the British Association of Removers later that same year.
From the shed at Notley Road, the business moved across town to the Ridley’s Maltings in Lakes Road, Braintree, where it remained until 1986 when John and Christine purchased a site in Driberg Way and constructed the purpose-built office and warehouses they operate from today. 1986 was also the year Moovit joined the then fledgling Britannia Movers International, which had been formed just five years earlier.
In 1997, Britannia Moovit was the first moving company in Essex to achieve British & European standard status for service quality (BS EN 12522) and the British Standards Kitemark for furniture moving.
Tom Wicks joined the company in 1995 and took over the running of the business from his father in 2007. Jo joined him in 2009.
During its five decades of trading Britannia Moovit & W. Harris has helped thousands of people in the Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire area move to new homes, both in the UK and around the world.
Today the company continues to expand its range of services offering self storage, self-drive vans and trucks and secure shredding services.
Happy 50th birthday Moovit!
Photo: L/R Jo Jopson, John Wicks, Christine Wicks and Tom Wicks with the celebration cake.