1933
Cecil Stanley Ellis started CS Ellis Haulage from his home in Duddington
After a couple of years, Cecil bought two farms near Ketton and Bridge Pitt Farm became the new headquarters for CS Ellis. The essence of the CS Ellis family business began at this point with Nelly (Cecil’s wife) running CS Ellis, while Cecil took over the running of the two farms
1954
Ketton Cement was one of our first customers
One of the first customers we started hauling for was Ketton Cement in 1933. Photographed is one of our early contracts from 1954, and this relationship has continued to the present day
1965
Derek Ellis joins the business as MD, and we become an LTD
Derek Ellis joins the business as Managing Director soon to take over the management from Cecil. Derek was a mechanic and owner driver, and he brought vigour to the business, often working 7 days a week.
1966
CS Ellis relocates to Wireless Hill
The company moved from Cecil Ellis’s Bridge Pitt Farm in Ketton when the redundant MOD property at Wireless Hill, South Luffenham, was purchased by the Company
1969
The first artic arrives in the fleet
Our first articulated vehicle was added to the CS Ellis fleet in 1969 which enabled larger and heavier loads to be transported, which opened up new areas of business
1971
The first warehouse
We built our first warehouse at Wireless Hill, moving the company into new business opportunities, also providing work for the transport fleet. This was the start of our ability to become a “one-stop shop” for customers logistics needs
1976
Trevor Ellis (Road Transport) Ltd
Trevor Ellis started his own business, “Trevor Ellis (Road Transport) Ltd.” with a 7.5 tonne truck on express light haulage
1981
Chemical warehouse
CS Ellis begins a relationship with Bayer Chemicals and builds a purpose-built chemical warehouse
1982
The merger
“Trevor Ellis (Road Transport) Ltd.” Company shares are bought by CS Ellis and merged into CS Ellis. At this time, the CS Ellis livery was updated and included some of the colours and styles from Trevor’s business. The small start-up blue-chip companies that Trevor’s business had been working for became ever large, giving CS Ellis a new customer base. These fast growing customers replaced some of the dying industries that we traditionally worked for
1983
50th anniversary and 4 generations
The Rutland & Stamford Mercury captures four generations celebrating 50 years in business
1983-today
Stamford Carnival
CS Ellis put their first vehicle into the Stamford Carnival, tradition continued to this day!
1989
Cement delivery
The picture here shows CS Ellis delivering one of the first loads of cement for the construction of the new Severn Bridge
1991
The third generation
Trevor Ellis becomes Managing Director, taking the business into its third Generation
1993
Transport Association
We were invited to join the Transport Association, an honour for CS Ellis allowing us to connect with similar family owned businesses’ sharing of knowledge, help and assistance across the country. We are still proud to be a part of the TA today. This unique friendship amongst hauliers across the UK enables us to offer services nationally and internationally at a level unrivalled by any competition. Trevor was Chairman of the TA between 2009 -2010
1994
Founding members of Palletline
In 1994, we became one of founding members of the Palletline member depots, enabling our customers to send pallets around the UK overnight. Palletline is still owned by its family members, and shares the same values as CS Ellis. Palletline would go on to become a major part of our business. Trevor was chairman of Palletline for 11 years
1999
Edith Weston (Camp) Depot
CS Ellis opened Edith Weston “Camp” depot, and it soon held in excess of 15,000 pallets initially for Reed Plastic Containers of Oakham
2004
ILN – European Network
CS Ellis become the UK partner of European Network (ILN), giving the company a daily service to Europe
2005
Whetstone depot
CS Ellis opened a depot in Whetstone, Leicester, offering 5,000 pallet spaces of storage plus 30,000 sq ft of bulk storage area
2006
UKWA Warehouse Company of the Year
CS Ellis wins UKWA Warehouse Company of the Year for its 24 hour pick-pack operation for Corgi Toys
2007
Charles Ellis FC
Charles Ellis joins the business as a financial controller, having qualified as a chartered accountant at Grant Thornton
2008
Woolfox depot
CS Ellis Woolfox Depot opens on the side of the A1, and the company commences an export packing operation for Cummins Generator Technologies
2010
Hayley Cook, nee Ellis HR
Hayley Cook, nee Ellis joins the family business, heading up our HR department
2013
Fulfilment service
Pacwolf Fulfilment is launched as the CS Ellis warehousing brand and specialises in e-commerce and fulfilment
2013
Trevor Ellis Chairman
Trevor Ellis becomes Chairman and Charles Ellis Managing Director of CS Ellis
2014
Palletline Regional Night Hub
CS Ellis commences operating a regional night hub operation for Palletline PLC for all eastern members from Darlington down to Southend
2016
Fulfillment centre
Pacwolf has moved into purpose-built fulfilment centre at Wireless Hill and is soon utilising the 8000+ pallet locations
2018
+200 employees
The number of employees across CS Ellis companies surpasses 200
2019
Palletline “Top Liner”
CS Ellis Group Limited is awarded the Palletline accolade ‘Top Liner’ for their achievements within the network. Then General Manager and Principal, Troy Bailey, commented: “Having worked tirelessly to achieve the necessary KPI standards each month between January and June, Palletline PLC has awarded CS Ellis Group with the ultimate performance award for excellence.”
2022
50 years of service
Diana Morgan (formerly FD) celebrates 50 years of service and becomes the longest serving employee of the company. She is one of seven employees to have worked for CS Ellis for over 50 years
2023
90th Anniversary
As part of our 90th anniversary celebrations, CS Ellis Logistics had the privilege of hosting HRH The Duke of Gloucester at our main site in South Luffenham. The Duke, who has a special connection to Rutland and its community, has visited the county on multiple occasions. We were delighted to showcase our newly branded livery, featuring our 90th anniversary livery on the DAF tractor unit and trailer.