Nationwide removals company Clockwork Removals and Storage is celebrating 25 years in business. It may have started small, but Chairman Courtenay Morison has turned a man and van start up into a UK-wide success story.

Clockwork Removals started in Edinburgh in the summer of 1996 when a 24-year-old Courtenay Morison was offered £20 to move a wardrobe in his van.  “I thought, ‘that was easy’ and just kept going,” he said. 

“Despite the confidence of youth, building a business was not easy and there are lots of things I might have done differently looking back now,” reflected Courtenay. “But we acquired a second branch in Aviemore in 2004, and branches in Glasgow and London the following year, and continued to grow.” 

In 2007 Clockwork purchased Edwards Storage and in 2012 moved to a deep storage facility in Aston Down, Gloucestershire, offering storage and distribution solutions for trade customers throughout London and the South East. 

Clockwork now employs 120 staff and has an annual turnover of £10m, with eight removals and storage facilities across the UK.

“Fundamentally, things haven’t changed that much in 25 years,” said Courtenay. “The moving aspect still requires the same amount of skill and hard work, although the systems and technology have changed enormously. The market still moves up and down as it always has, and there are always more regulations and new competitors coming into the market - just as we did 25 years ago.”

Courtenay now has his sights set firmly on the future, looking forward to what the next 25 years will bring. “We have a strong team across the UK who have proved over the past year that they are adaptable, motivated and focussed. They will help us develop and expand the company further over the coming years,” he said.

Photo: Courtenay Morison