Insider view: Chairman of Clockwork Removals and Storage Courtenay Morison

Courtenay Morison, chairman of Clockwork Removals and Storage. Photo by Phil Wilkinson

What does the company do? We deal with residential and commercial moves. The other side of the business is Clockwork Properties, which owns storage warehousing.

How did you get started? After I left school I set up a small business, Call a Keg, which supplied outside bar services for weddings and other one-off events.

I was 19 or 20 and bought a couple of transit vans for that business, and a friend asked me if I could move a large wardrobe for him from oneflat in Edinburgh to another, offering £20. I was delighted – because most of my work was in the evenings or weekends, and so I saw a way to make money during theday too.

So I started the removal company. I had part-time staff and I put an advert in [a weekly trade paper] and took it from there. And now we have just celebrated our 25th anniversary.

How has the business been this year?It has been the most phenomenal few months. I would have predicted that there would be a serious crash [in the property market] this year, but from the end of September, each month has broken records. Usually the residential market is seasonal, but this year has defied expectations.

What territory do you cover? Although we started inEdinburgh – and we are still based in Scotland – we have two branches in London, as well as Sheffield, Gloucester, Hampshire, and four in Scotland.

We are members of a worldwide organisation, FIDI [Fédération Internationale des Déménageurs Internationaux], which means if you are moving to Ethiopia, wepack a crate in Glasgow and ship it via the network out to its destination.

How is the business changing? We are building two warehouses in Perth, and we have an offer in on a site in Newbridge in Edinburgh. We are planning to build, both in Sheffield and another 100,000 sq ft warehouse within two hours of London, for our storage business.

The commercial moving side is also expanding. Our biggest customer at the Perth branch, for instance, is Perth Council, and that encompasses all aspects of removals for their properties. We do a lot of specialist work and that can include moving libraries or specialist laboratories for universities, and hospital equipment. We have specialist technicians to deal with sensitive jobs – such as needle sweeps in homeless accommodation – so from that to moving high-value pieces of art across the world, we really do encompass all aspects of the business.

How hands on are you? At the beginning, it was only me – andeven now there will be a couple of times a month when I go out and help with a move. It is good for my fitness and I enjoy still being part of the team.

I ran the Perth branch until last year but we have taken on a branch manager now so I can concentrate on building the business.

What has been the biggest challenge? We hit a wall back in 2009 because of the worldwide crash. The property side was highly geared to residential moves, so it was hit as the sales market stalled. But we restructured and kept the revenue steady.

This year, our revenue will be about £12 million and we have cash to make investments. I am actively looking for acquisitions within the removals, storage and commercial property areas of business.

What is a typical residential move? No two are alike, but we are moving a lot of high-net worth individuals. For example, last week we moved Sir David Murray, and obviously his art collection is worth millions. However, whether it is that value or just a few pounds, you have to remember that it is valuable to the householder, and we take care with every item.

Our staff are trained in packing and wrapping specialist high-value items, such as crating chandeliers and artwork and moving grand pianos, snooker tables and other oversized items.

The difference now is how busy we are. A year and a half ago, you could phone us the week you were moving and book a slot. Now there would be no chance. We are absolutely rammed for this month and August, so if someone has just accepted an offer on their property, their next call should probably be to a removals company at the moment. And this is definitely going to continue for the next six months or so.

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to set up a removals business? You need about £75. That will rent a van, and then get a mate and you are up and running. The entry level for the industry is very cheap; the real money is in storage and property – but you can work up to that.

For those wanting to work with us, we aren’t looking for particular qualifications on paper – I don’t have any – but we are looking for bright, ambitious, can-do people to come on board, not just for removals but in the office too.

Running a branch of Clockwork requires a wide skill set – managing people, sales, operations, storage – there are a lot of moving parts. And it’s also knowing how to troubleshoot any problems.

And for the removal people, you might think it is an unskilled job, but getting a huge piece of furniture moved requires both skill and strength.

Life file

Born and raised I was born and brought up in Perth.

Education Gordonstoun and then Dundee High School.

Family I am married to Anna, who works in the marketing department at Clockwork. We have three children – Sasha, 14, Johnny, 12, and Natalie, 11.

CV I started off working with a van doing beer delivery, as well as working for Thomas Pink on Castle Street in Edinburgh. I got into removals when I was asked to move a wardrobe and took it from there.

First home After leaving home, I rented for a bit and then managed to purchase a flat with my brother and help from my mother. We still have it, 30 years later, on India Street in Edinburgh.

Plans for retirement Working until I drop. I can’t think of anything much worse than being retired.

Personal motto Onwards and upwards!