Universal Commercial Relocation

15/04/2026

British Association of Removers Members including Thames Removals and Storage, Mark Ratcliffe Worldwide Removals, Britannia Sandersteads, Crown Workspace, White & Company, Martells, A.H. Tripp & Sons, Central Moves, F.Smith & Son, Pickfords, Britannia Appleyard, and Britannia Allan Cook were just some of the BAR members joining Universal Commercial Relocation to form a cavalcade of member’s vehicles around Parliament Square today before the launch of the BAR report “Getting Britain Moving”

15/04/2026

Universal proudly joined a cavalcade of member’s vehicles from the British Association of Removers around Parliament Square today before the launch of the BAR report “Getting Britain Moving”

27/10/2025

Universal had the great honour recently of providing transportation logistics support for The Grand Sumo Tournament 2025 held at The Royal Albert Hall, working alongside our partner Nippon Express Co. Ltd. Certainly not an everyday occurence for the team, this is only the second time ever that The Grand Sumo Tournament has taken place outside of Japan and saw forty of Japan’s elite maku-uchi rikishi (wrestlers) compete, bringing with them the 1,500-year legacy of Sumo.

01/08/2025

Universal keenly support the Removals Operative Apprenticeship Scheme and currently have two apprentices (Brandon and Oliver) on the 12 month program, a great initiative for our industry. An added bonus for our new apprentices was that early on in their time at Universal, they recently got to meet the British Association of Removers Director General, Ian Studd, at our offices.

A career as a removals operative involves a variety of responsibilities, from securely packing items into boxes or crates to handling the transportation of furniture and equipment, overseeing storage procedures, to loading and unloading vehicles.

Throughout the apprenticeship, individuals are encouraged to develop a wide array of skills, aligned with industry best practices, company standards, and legal requirements, They are encourage to develop a through understanding of the removals sector and the services available, including Health & Safety, organisational skills, transportation methods, standard operating procedures, teamwork, environmental awareness, packing and goods handling expertise, manual handling and equipment use, furniture assembly, the effective management of electronic and paper records, and reports and inventories.

29/04/2025

On Friday of last week Universal’s MD Sarah Cole at Universal, the British Association of Removers Vice President, and BAR Director General Ian Studd met with James Murray MP, Member of Parliament for Ealing North and also Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury at Universal Commercial Relocation Ltd’s HQ in Greenford. We’d like to thank James Murray and Ian Studd for taking time out of their busy schedules to join us and engage in some thought provoking discussions.

On Friday of last week the BAR Vice President Sarah Cole and Director General Ian Studd met with James Murray MP, Member of Parliament for Ealing North and also Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury. The visit was primarily to discuss ‘local issues’ in his capacity as the constituency MP for Sarah...

04/04/2025

Great to be sponsoring grassroots rugby with Manchester Medics Rugby. Manchester holds a special place in our heart as our MD, Sarah Cole at Universal completed her Bachelor of Laws (LLB Hons) degree there. Last Saturday, Manchester Medics played a valiant game, narrowly losing 31-34 to Swansea Medics in the NAMS (National Association of Medical Schools) Rugby Union Plate Final at Grasshoppers. The game was made all the more special as Sarah and Michael's son Mikey (a Manchester student and occasional Universal porter) was playing and was watched on eagerly by his father who made sure the team were fully rehydrated after the game. 🍻 🏉 🍺

07/03/2025

Universal is proud to support International Women’s Day. Not only is Sarah at Universal our Managing Director, but she will soon be the British Association of Removers President, only the third woman to hold that position.

British Association of Removers proudly supports International Women's Day on 8th March, which serves as both a celebration of progress and a reminder of the ongoing challenges women face worldwide.

Removals is an industry that has in the past been predominantly male-oriented and, whilst the roles of porter and drivers are still largely (but not entirely) carried out by men, within the office environs of our Members it is a different and changing story, with many women holding key decision-making roles within very successful companies.

Women have played a large part in the growth of our industry, though that hasn’t always been recognised. One of our long-standing Members John Mason International was founded in Wavertree, Liverpool by Mary Mason in 1884. It was highly unusual for a woman to run a company, let alone start one at the tail end of the 19th century, which is why Mary took the commercially savvy decision in naming the company – initially a coal merchants - after her husband John.

Fast forward to 2025 and the role of women in the industry and specifically within the BAR Membership is not just recognised but positively celebrated, with the BAR Conference in May 2025 representing a milestone for women in removals, not least in the make-up of its Board of Directors:

• The Association has had two women take on the prestigious role of President since 2003, with Sarah Cole the Managing Director of Universal Commercial Relocation moving into the role of BAR President in May having served two years as Vice President
• McGimpsey Brothers Removals' Managing Director Melissa Gibbons is the current Chair of the BAR National Council having taken on the role in 2024
• Gemma Hendry, the Overseas Manager at Purdie Worldwide Removals & Storage Ltd will become the new Chair of the BAR Overseas Moving Group at the Annual Conference in May, joining Sarah and Melissa on the Board of Directors
• Widely recognised as a source of future leaders in the removals industry The BAR Young Movers Group is comprised of an equal number of men and women, with a greater number of women on the Council; and in May of this year it will name Alexandra Lane, a Director at Britannia Lanes, as its new Chair, which will see Alexandra also join the Board
• And finally, Tracy Britten, the Governance and Compliance Manager at the BAR is the Secretary to the Board

The British Association of Removers recognises, appreciates, and celebrates the enormous and growing contribution of women to the removals and storage industry not just on the 8th of March, but 365 days a year. https://bar.co.uk

05/03/2025

Universal’s MD, Sarah, was privileged to be invited to and attend The British Association of Removers 125 year Anniversary and the formal launch of the Removals Operative Apprenticeship scheme at a Parliamentary Reception yesterday evening at the Houses of Parliament. Great to catch up with colleagues, friends, and fellow movers!

Here’s to the next 125 years.

27/02/2025

Following on from yesterday's post, it's not just our auditors that appreciate and recognise the quality service we strive to deliver and provide to our clients, as evidenced by our recent recertification for all 5 of our QSS quality standards.

Its also rather nice when a client puts pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) to express their satisfaction at a job well done. As a large proportion of our work is repeat business, it makes it all the more special since it's generally unexpected, particularly in commercial moving. But the following was received recently from a client that I felt compelled to share...

"I wanted to extend my appreciation to Universal for their exceptional support in clearing our Headquarters and assisting us with the relocation to our new office at the end of last year.
I was onsite a few days, and I was really pleased with the Universal team and their professionalism.
They worked incredibly hard, and nothing was ever too much for them. They worked well as a team and had a really effective and efficient process.
There were plenty of items and lockers for them to move, with lots of trips, and they worked tirelessly to get these moved as quickly as possible to maintain our operational resilience.
Their professionalism and dedication has been instrumental in ensuring a smooth transition for us. We greatly appreciate their hard work and commitment to making this move as seamless as possible."

Well done team !!!

If you have an office move or workplace relocation project coming up or just need a hand with some internal moves or office churn, no matter how large or small, why not drop Universal Commercial Relocation a line and place yourself in our safe hands.

https://ucr.uk.com/contact-us/

25/02/2025

Universal Commercial Relocation always aims to deliver a top-quality service and is proud to announce we recently gained re-certification for all 5 of our Quality Standards.

We were re-certified for the following 5 standards:
BS 8522:2009 - Commercial Moving Services
BS EN ISO 9001:2015 - Quality Management Systems
BS EN ISO 14001:2015 - Environmental Managements Systems
BS EN ISO 27001:2022 - Information Security Management Systems
BS ISO 45001:2023 - Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems

If you have a relocation project you would like to discuss with us, rest assured we aim to offer the Highest Quality Service.

15/05/2024

Universal continues to work hard behind the scenes to not only ensure we provide a high quality, cost efficient and effective relocation service but to evidence this with public recognition and proof through appropriate accreditations.

Our programme of continuous improvement has recently been recognised with certification under the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme ("FORS") Gold Accreditation.

On top of the requirements for Bronze and Silver accreditation, Gold accreditation is only awarded to exceptional operators who have met exacting targets. FORS Gold operators must actively promote the FORS Standard to their supply chain.

To gain Gold accreditation, fleet operators must employ good practice and comply with the requirements laid out by the FORS standard, producing a case study documenting their progression through to the top level of accreditation. This includes demonstrating dedication to driver and vehicle safety, driver professional development and sustainable operations.

This goes above and beyond the silver standard which requires in-depth monitoring of a variety of information, data and stats and evidencing the same. Amongst other things, Silver accreditation requires driver licensing monitoring, installation of vehicle warning equipment and cameras, blind-spot minimisation, driver training, investigation and analysis of transport related fines and charges, and monitoring of data including distance travelled, incidents and PCNs, fuel used, vehicle efficiency, and CO2 and NOx output.