Abels Moving Services is a UK-based moving company specialising in domestic and international relocation. The removal and storage company has its headquarters in
Brandon, Suffolk, with facilities in London, Cambridge, Daventry covering the whole of the UK. It became the first removals firm to be granted a
Royal Warrant in 1989, ''by appointment to HM the Queen for removals and storage services''. , the company still holds this warrant.
History
Established in Norfolk in the UK in 1958, Abels was initially an offshoot from the Abels family auctioneering business. The firm became known as Abels of Watton, initially only based in the town, but subsequently opening depots in
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver C ...
,
St Albans
St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...
,
Colchester
Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''.
Colchester occupies the ...
and
Brandon, Suffolk.
In 1991, the Abel family sold the business to
Hays plc, and then in 1998 a
management buyout
A management buyout (MBO) is a form of acquisition in which a company's existing managers acquire a large part, or all, of the company, whether from a parent company or individual. Management- and/or leveraged buyouts became noted phenomena of 19 ...
returned Abels to independent ownership. Abels was a shareholder in UniGroup Worldwide UTS which at the end of 2015 changed to become Harmony Relocation a company founded in Holland with worldwide stakeholders like Abels and Philip Pertoldi currently sits on the supervisory board as chairman. In October 2016 the Abels Group which consists of Gerson Relocation and Atlantic International Movers joined Momentous Relocation Ltd.
See also
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Moving industry
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Relocation services
References
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{{British Royal Warrant holders
Removal companies of the United Kingdom
British royal warrant holders
1958 establishments in England
British companies established in 1958