Renwick Freight

[saviem]

Evening all,

Renwick Freight, with the “Eager Beaver” company symbol, was a quite good viable…"working " transport operation.

I will not go into a lengthy, (and perhaps well libelous discord), but I have to declare that I am well on the side of Bewick, and Telekon Steve in my opinions of what subsequently happened to this grouping.

I seem to remember that the Group Head Office was in Bristol, (located in a curved, concrete , city centre office block). The original Chairman, (whose name I simply cannot remember, but an affable, and charming chap in his late `60s, back in the mid 80s), ended up as Chairman of Longton Storage and Transport, just as Brian Riley joined as Joint MD, with Alan Harp…they soon got him out if I recall…seem to remember that he lived in Market Drayton.

But as he departed Renwick, and the ownership moved to the ex Checkley Commercials “magnete”…the Group sort of foundered on the rocks!

As an observation I have to declare just how much I hated and despised the “asset stripping” approach to acquisitions of any sort. It totally ignores the work, and worth of so many individuals who have given an awful lot to make something work. It is not always about the “dollar”, its the craic, the shared success, and the feeling of belonging to something that gives both pride, comradeship, and identity to the individual.Totally ignoring future potential, both financial, and reputational.

The asset stripper never sees this, only the easy buck, personally I am sad for them, and despise them in equal measure. Empty vesells comes to mind.

Nice fleet the Renwick one, and their 2600 DAFs were a pleasure to behold…probably worth more today than a piece of “glass”…eh Bewick!

Cheerio for now.

[telekonsteve]

Well said Saviem, I can remember his dad, squeak driving a 6 wheel tipper for St Marys Plant, another company he ballsed up I beleave and as for wreckin well an empty pop bottle has an higer return apparently then said stone

[6lx]

Hi,Renwicks transport side had a depot in Exeter,they ran mostly Commer"s with TS3 engines,The Coal side was in Torquay,Renwick Wilton Dobson,local deliveries on small commer"s…Norman croad,Torquay,Devon.

[stanfield]

transportphotos.com/road/photos

[nedbro]

Hi all my dad worked for renwicks,ray Brophy he was at the Bury depot that used to be David halls,always used to be in truck with him in school hols,he drove one of the 2600 days they had,anyone remember him?he was union rep for the lads for a while

[andyd4910]

one of the last Renwick freight contracts was reed corrugated cases of lydbrook and when the contract finished in june 1984 and we were made redundant head office in Bristol was almost finished,the drivers at lydbrook even had to strike 3 weeks before we finished and stop production at reeds to get our holiday pay out of Renwicks who were refusing to give us what was rightfully ours. Renwicks also owned fuel stations all over the country with the eager beaver also displayed on them but bad management also got rid of them at around the same time.andyd4910

[lespullan]

Bradford depot. Les.

[lespullan]

[bewick]

andyd4910:
one of the last Renwick freight contracts was reed corrugated cases of lydbrook and when the contract finished in june 1984 and we were made redundant head office in Bristol was almost finished,the drivers at lydbrook even had to strike 3 weeks before we finished and stop production at reeds to get our holiday pay out of Renwicks who were refusing to give us what was rightfully ours. Renwicks also owned fuel stations all over the country with the eager beaver also displayed on them but bad management also got rid of them at around the same time.andyd4910

Was that when Dave Unwin had taken over at Renwicks ? Cheers Bewick.

[fenwin]

Hi, I worked for. Renwicks at Hartlepool depot as apprentice, but when it closed I had to do holiday relief for a while at Bury, Bruton, and ended up at Bathgate

[fenwin]

In Bathgate