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History

June 1906
Frederic Smart establishes the business.
June 1906
1919
A mill in Whittlesford, Cambridge was purchased in order to grow the business.
1919
1924
Thomas Smart joins the business.
1924
1950
A partnership was formed and Frederic Smart & Son was created.
1950
1958
Frederic Smart retires after more than 50 years of trading.
1958
1965
A limited company was formed, Frederic Smart & Son Ltd. By this time the business was offering contract seed and pulse cleaning, and warehouse services, along with developing its agricultural trading activities.
1965
1966
Thomas' Son, Andrew Smart joins the business in 1966. Andrew was instrumental in the development and growth of the business and was known for his technical knowledge and integrity, and he was highly respected within the industry. Andrew went on to work for Frederic Smart & Son for over 50 years.
1966
1999
A site at Foxton was acquired, and following a period of renovation and development, the business moved there in April 2000. The larger site, along with improved facilities, enabled the warehousing side of the business to be expanded, and this began to form a significant part of the overall operation, having a number of synergies with the ongoing agricultural trading business.
1999
2013
The growth of the warehousing division led to a search for a larger site. The suitable site was found and following a period of design and planning, the construction of our new purpose built warehouse in Papworth Everard commenced in December.
2013
June 2014
The construction of our warehouse was completed, giving us 60,000ft2 of fully racked warehousing space and a modern office environment.
June 2014
2019
The warehouse was extended to add a further 50,000ft2 of space and additional loading docks.
2019
August 2022
We completed the acquisition of Warrington based haulier R J Edwards & Sons. This purchase added a further 100,000ft2 of warehousing space, and a fleet of delivery vehicles to our current service offering.
August 2022
October 2022
We opened a new 120,000ft2 warehouse in Peterborough to support the continued growth of the business.
October 2022

The business was established in Cambridge in June 1906 by Frederic Smart who had been working for a local grain merchant – E Bell & Co. In 1919 the mill at Whittlesford was purchased, and this provided an adequate location for the growing business for many years. In 1924, Frederic Smart’s son Thomas joined the business; in 1950 a partnership was formed and the business became Frederic Smart and Son. Frederic Smart retired in 1958 after more than 50 years of trading.

In 1965 a limited company was created, Frederic Smart and Son Ltd. The business continued to develop its trading activities and at the same time offer contract seed and pulse processing, together with warehousing services. The business divisions, agricultural trading and contract processing, continued to grow until 1996 when the decision was taken to formally separate these activities. A separate entity called Granta Processors was created to manage the processing division, and this business still operates locally today.

In 1999, a site at Foxton was acquired, and following a period of renovation and development, the business moved there in April 2000. The larger site, along with improved facilities, enabled the warehousing side of the business to be expanded, and this began to form a significant part of the overall operation, having a number of synergies with the ongoing agricultural trading business.

Continued growth of the warehousing division led to a search for a larger, more suitable site, and in early 2013, a five acre development site in Papworth Everard was acquired. Following a period of design, planning and construction, the business was relocated to the new, purpose-built distribution facility in June 2014.

Continued growth and increasing demands of the logistics element of the business led to the requirement for additional warehouse capacity. In June 2019, a significant extension to the existing facility at Papworth Everard was completed, bringing total storage area up to 115,000ft2, with in excess of 20,000 pallet spaces.

In August 2022, the acquisition of R J Edwards & Sons was completed, a family business that shared the same ethos and dedication to customer service. The acquisition added a fleet of delivery vehicles to the distribution service, an additional 100,000 ft2 of BRC accredited warehouse space, and a dedicated co-packing operation.

In October 2022, an additional warehouse was acquired in Peterborough in order to add a further 100,000 ft2 of BRC accredited warehouse space to support the growth of the business. This brought the total capacity up to over 45,000 pallet spaces.

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