Over 30 Years’ of Delivering Excellence:
Our Story
1982
South Yorkshire Distribution Services
DBL Logistics was formed in 1982 by Bert and Linda Clarkson, originally as South Yorkshire Distribution Services, delivering goods to private households in the North of England.
1998
The DBL initials
Bert and Linda’s son, David, became managing director in 1998 and took over the running of the business, with Bert becoming operations director. This led to the creation of the DBL initials and the business as we know it today.
2001
Joining UPN
In early 2001, we were approached with an opportunity to become a founding member of a new pallet network. United Pallet Network (UPN) opened its doors with us already firmly in place.
2013
New Site Opening
A significant chapter of our story came in 2013 with the opening of our flagship warehouse facility. Following a significant investment, we opened our 33,500sqft warehouse and office building on Tinsley Park Road in Sheffield. Named after Benjamin Huntsman, the Huntsman Depot was opened by managing director, David Clarkson, along with key members of the Clarkson family, partner businesses and customers.
2013
Record Breakers
We broke the record for the most freight inputted in one evening in 2013, after sending 634 pallets through the United Pallet Network – nearly doubling the previous record.
2014
SUFC Shirt Sponsorship
Whilst DBL Logistics grew, our management team of David Clarkson (Managing Director), and Bert Clarkson (Founder) remained passionate blades, and were proud to become associated with their club in such a significant way. DBL signed a 2-year deal to become United’s back-of-shirt sponsors, greatly enhancing the profile of the company and contributing to the future expansion of DBL Logistics.
2016
Further Site Expansion
Following a sustained period of growth for DBL Logistics, work began in 2015 to expand our warehouse and meet the demands of our growing customer base. The second investment meant our warehouse would increase its capacity by a third, allowing for an increase in the size of our fleet. Currently, we warehouse and distribute over 120,000 pallets of goods across South Yorkshire and the North Midlands each year.
2016
Sheffield Sharks Naming Rights
Here at DBL Logistics, we are proud of our Sheffield roots and so are always looking for ways to invest back into the city through sponsorships of local professional and amateur sports teams. In 2016, we signed a deal to become the Sheffield Sharks’ naming rights sponsor, resulting in a new logo and a close working relationship with the team and its staff.
2016
Sarah Clarkson Joins the Team
In 2016, David’s wife, Sarah, joined the team full-time after 30 years’ service with the NHS. Sarah now heads up our finance department in her role as Finance Director.
2017
Apprenticeship Programme
As the company grew, our team grew with it. 2017 saw the beginning of DBL investing in local young people to join the company and bring new ideas and energy. The successful Apprenticeship programme saw, Daisy (Accounts), Harry (Warehouse), and Chris (Sales & Marketing) join the company, all of which are still with us today.
2017
Adam Boyd Joins the Team
2017 saw the arrival of Adam Boyd (TechIOSH) as Operations Director. Adam hit the floor running, restructuring the operations and building a team ready for growth.
2017
Major HGV Investment
The expansion of our warehouse gave us the platform to be able to invest in our fleet of vehicles. Our fleet increased from 17 to 23 vehicles, following a significant investment spearheaded by new operations director, Adam Boyd.
2018
Consecutive Platinum Awards
Our standing within UPN is shown by the string of awards we picked up whilst with the network. In 2017, we received a record 5th consecutive award for platinum member status, becoming the only member depot out of the 90 plus businesses included in the network’s portfolio to have retained platinum status every year since the award was first introduced.
2019
Joining Pall-Ex
We joined the Pall-Ex network in 2018, this further expanded our ability to meet the needs of our growing customer base. After a hugely successful period in the company’s history, we picked up the New Depot of the Year award at the annual Pall-Ex awards ceremony. We were now in a strong position to be able to continue our growth and look to the future.
2019
Solely Pall-Ex
After experiencing first-hand the service level of the Pall-Ex network, DBL Logistics took the huge step to fully committing to Pall-Ex, leaving UPN in the process. The ambitous nature of our management team alligned with that of Pall-Ex to become a true industry leader, with innovative technology and high standards for their member depots.
2020
COVID-19
In an unprecedentedly difficult year, 2020 saw the COVID crisis rage across the world. We dedicated a large amount of our fleet to supermarket and NHS work, whilst our staff worked hard to keep the wheels turning during a national lockdown. The Pall-Ex Group business soared with home deliveries, whilst our general haulage fleet grew by a further 35%.
2021
Board Re-Structure
In 2021, we restructured our boardroom to reflect the current running of the company; Bert as Chairman, David becoming the Group Chief Executive Officer, and Adam moving into the role of Group Managing Director, with Sarah Clarkson continuing in her role as Finance Director.
Future of DBL Logistics
With a team of dedicated staff, an ambitious management team, and state-of-the-art technology DBL Logistics are in the best place possible to expand even more with exciting investments to our fleet coming soon so we can continue to provide the best possible service to our valued customers.