According to the latest announcement from Briggs CEO after five years in charge they have moved up into the Premier League!!

Cost of promotion - firing 2 sales directors, two operations directors, 2 HR directors, 4 GM's, reducing fleet by 50% not to mention a decimated dealer network and truck care business.

Now as I understand all their star strikers have left for that Bundesliga outfit!!

As the MU fans often chant - PREMIER LEAGUE, YOU'RE HAVING A LAUGH !!!!!!!!

Scouse you sound like you work at Pimblo if so it was always about the DIVI after all it was YER WHA country who invented the word anyway with the POOLS littlewoods and Vernons. Hand your notice in next week, i would, tell them how you feel if you dont then you need a good talking too. Liam Fox did it when he hit rock BOTTOM.

Not even Uefa cup Henley,also teetering on the brink of relegation

Sorry to hear of your issues Scouse, but I am intrigued...

So what part of the Champions League of UK Independent's does your Company sit at Scouse?

Second question is did we "mention the Company who employs me" in the original list?

On your points regarding the "magic PO number" I have to say that this is part of the general cultural issue which your industry suffers, that is short term gain, rather than longer term strategic 'win win' plans which enable Customer retention and profitable growth, whilst retaining satisfied Customers' who are at less risk of you losing due to panic management and a 'rip off' mentality to cover deeper Forklift Co failings financially.

So who are the top five UK top independents - the best, not just the biggest? Over to you chaps.... ?

I thought somebody would mention the company who employs me. They have ridden one recession, with a little waste trimmed from the bulging wage bill we survived.
For that I am grateful. Started to progress slightly after that global hiccup and make some more money.


Any monkey can find chargeable work, its not rocket science. The art is obtaining that magic PO number. Without that you might as well not bother finding any.

feel calmer now..

If you want to grow your company then Windsor might have a better strategy to grow. I have noticed that know one has mentioned Cooper they are building a very good business that is national in larger trucks ware there is much more profit and a lot less competition. So it might be what is the best area to be in Junghierich , Crown and to a extent Toyota are all looking at the warehouse and small truck market to build the companies on

Of the list above, you are mixing national dealers (or those who aspire to be national) with very regional ones - it can never be a fair comparison.

Talking of aspirations, interesting to see Windsor on the list - a local Company strong in their own area who are now reaching into other territories. Compare this to DGP or Glosrose who seem happy just to provide a service in their own area with no ambition outside of it. Who is right? Which is the best strategy? That is a more interesting debate.

Up north it could be CAM based on their website full of Sizzle but the pan holds only fried bread so its Perkin Industrial for me.

This is going to be good.

Who is the top independent by units sold, growth, coverage, parent group strength, reputation, years in business, brand strength, locations in UK, ? ? who's the BEST not just the biggest.!

If we had 'champions league' of the notable performing UK Independents could we select the top 5 from Top Co's including: Acclaim, Barlows, Briggs, Carrylift, Douglas Gillespie, DawsonRentals, Forkway, Glosrose, Gray, Hessle, Impac, Jofsn, Lift Truck Rentals, Locators, Rushlift, Solent, SEV, UFT, Windsor,. Any more canditates?

Good point Mr got to be Slowlift for the saint deal, Briggs Scotland just got a big one, Carrylift for letting Briggs have the docks in Rooney land, Forkway Doncaster 175 trucks from nothing and then there is NOTHING especially from Locators and Impact. KEEP FEEDING THE BEAST

Briggs is owned by Sammons who are immensly wealthy. I think it is important to make the distinction between the 'strongest' and the 'most successful' - there is a big difference and therefore totally different answers to each

I don't know the figures but Barloworld is a genuine global business and must be bigger than Briggs, both in the UK and world markets.

Barlow and Briggs are non-manufacturer. Briggs are probably the strongest financially given their ownership strength.