Welcome to Frederic Smart

Frederic Smart has undergone significant change over the past 20 years with a focus on building and expanding the logistics business.

The company operates with two distinct divisions:

• Agricultural Trading Division: employing six people that trades as Frederic Smart and Son Ltd.
• The Logistics Division: employing 80 people and is the primary focus for future growth. From June, this division will trade as Frederic Smart Logistics Ltd and it includes Frederic Smart Shipping Ltd which is an international Freight Forwarding joint venture. 

A group-wide restructure is currently underway and is due to complete in June 2025. This will formally separate the agricultural trading business from the logistics division, providing clearer financial visibility by removing the agricultural trading volumes, which currently distorts overall results.

The Non-Executive Director will support the logistics business that provides end-to-end warehousing and storage solutions to customers predominantly in the food sectors, including importers, ingredient suppliers, food processors and manufacturers, and retailers. The warehousing facilities include ambient, chilled, organic and HMRC bonded facilities, all compliant to BRC AA standard. They aim to double the size of the logistics business over the next 3-5 years through organic growth and strategic acquisitions. The first acquisition was completed in 2022, successfully integrating RJ Edwards and Sons and they now operate across three distribution centres in Papworth Everard, Peterborough, and Warrington

Turnover in 2024 was £10.4 million and EBITDA was £1.4M. Unusually for a fourth-generation family business, ownership remains consolidated within one family – Douglas Smart and his three children.