In 1912 another company called Carter Paterson took over Pickfords' parcel work, while Pickfords concentrated on household removals, storage and moving heavy goods at home and abroad.
During the First World War (1914-1918) there was more house removal and storage business as families moved out of London and other towns. Pickfords also moved aircraft frames and other war material for the government.
From 1939-1945 in the Second World War, despite losing nearly half of its workers to the war, Pickfords was kept busy. The company moved London's Smithfield Meat Market and also the BBC offices to Bristol. In the 1944, it transported floating harbours for the troops to use in the invasion of France on D-Day. Five of its boats based in the Southampton/Isle of Wight area helped to rescue the British Army from Dunkirk.
Today, Pickfords is Britain's leading remover with more than 2,000 staff and a national fleet of vehicles. It has a network of branches and storage centres in the UK. It has sister companies in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Spain, Malaysia, Russia, USA, Canada, to name a few, plus a worldwide network of agents. It is Britain's largest mover of household goods to Europe, using ferries, container ships and air cargo planes.
As well as handling household removals in this country and abroad, it specialises in moving whole offices and factories, which involves transporting heavy equipment such as factory machinery. It also specialises in storing papers or documents, which businesses might need in the future.
As you can see, Pickfords has been part of Britain's transport story from packhorses and stage wagons, right through to modern day vehicles like cars, container ships and aeroplanes.
