Translink plans to turn its 66,000 sq ft Narborough site into a major indoor pallet sortation centre
A fast-growing Leicestershire logistics firm has announced a major leadership shake-up and plans for a huge new pallet sortation centre after recording almost 32% growth in two years.
Translink Express Logistics has made four senior appointments as the family-run business prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary next summer.
Three existing employees have been promoted, with Lee Barrett becoming head of traffic, Dan Green taking on the newly created role of head of project management, and Shanice Walsh appointed head of operations.
Ryan Wallis has also joined the company as head of warehousing.
The new management team will take greater responsibility for the day-to-day running of the business, allowing its directors to focus more closely on longer-term growth plans.
Translink has also revealed plans to transform its 66,000 sq ft headquarters in Narborough into an indoor palletised freight sortation centre.
Once completed, the company says it will become one of the largest operations of its kind in Leicestershire.
The firm began in the summer of 1987 as a small parcel delivery business with one vehicle and one driver.
It now handles more than 1,500 pallets each day through dedicated UK loads and its shareholder membership of Wolverhampton-based Pallet-Track.
Chris Hobbis, director at Translink Express Logistics, described the appointments as the most significant management and leadership changes in the firm's history.
He said: “In two years we’ve seen record growth – just shy of 32 per cent, which is phenomenal.
“The growth is twofold, coming from new customers and existing customers expanding the range of services they use from us. Now what we must do is plan for future growth.”
Mr Hobbis said the company had reached the point where more responsibility for daily operations needed to be handed to its senior management team.
He added: “We have got to the stage where we need to let somebody else take control of the day-to-day running, and that’s what these new appointments are about.”
The business said the four appointments would bring a mixture of internal experience and new expertise to the senior leadership team.
Mr Hobbis said: “Lee, Dan, Shanice, and Ryan will all play an important part in the future of the business. Between them, they bring enormous operational knowledge, experience, and energy to the senior management team.”
He added: “We are particularly proud to continue developing talented people from within Translink Express Logistics, while Ryan's appointment also demonstrates our willingness to bring new experience and ideas into the business when they can make us stronger.”
As part of its expansion, the company plans to change the way its Narborough headquarters is used.
Instead of being dominated by storage, the site will be dedicated to handling pallets, full loads and part loads indoors.
Existing storage operations will be transferred to Translink's 62,000 sq ft facility in Whetstone.
The business is also preparing to bring a new low-carbon third-party logistics site at Bilton Way, Lutterworth, fully into operation from September 2026.
The facility will include solar panels, electric vehicle chargers, lithium-powered forklifts and pump trucks.
The latest addition will take Translink's overall warehousing capacity to 170,000 sq ft, with more than 14,000 storage spaces supported by warehouse management software.
Mr Hobbis said creating such a large warehouse without conventional storage would distinguish the company from other transport operators.
He said: “It’s almost unheard of in the industry, having a warehouse of this size with no storage. It’s a really exciting development for us and a vital part of our long-term growth strategy.”
The company is now turning its attention towards further expansion in 2027.
“Our focus now is on 2027 and making sure we hit the ground running. We have big ambitions for the year ahead and really want to make it a standout year,” Mr Hobbis added.
Stuart Godman, chief executive of Pallet-Track, welcomed the company's recent performance and expansion plans.
He said: “The figures posted by Translink Express Logistics over the last two years speak for themselves – fantastic! This is a phenomenally successful business which has accelerated its growth in a hugely impressive way, and we are so enormously proud to have them as part of the Pallet-Track family.”
Mr Godman added that the leadership appointments and redevelopment of the Narborough site could help differentiate Translink as it continues to expand.
“We’re excited to see how they continue to grow following the quartet of senior leadership appointments, and we’re sure the development of its Narborough site will truly set it apart from the competition.”