Cartwright Brothers (Haulage), a family-run haulage and storage business in Lincoln, has closed after 80 years of operations.
The company, which employed over 100 people, was founded by four brothers and has been run by cousins Jamie and John Cartwright, sons of two of the founders, for over 30 years.
They informed the staff of the closure on Thursday and the administrator has been named as Kroll.
In the early 1950s, Cartwright Brothers delivered sandbags along the east coast to mitigate damage from one of the worst storms in UK history. Over the years, the company has worked with businesses, primarily in agriculture, as well as international companies.
Jamie Cartwright said: “It was with tremendous sadness that we had to close the doors at Cartwright last week. But running a haulage business over the past decade has come with huge challenges – rising diesel prices, a difficult economy, along with huge constraints caused by COVID-19.
“Cartwright was never able to continue in the same vein since COVID. Plus, the Ukrainian war had a huge impact on our sector in terms of fuel price increases, acquiring replacement parts for vehicles and having to wait long periods for these parts to arrive – and at inflated prices.
“All of these challenges were underpinned by serious lorry driver shortages following Brexit which added even more pressure to running Cartwright Bros – along with Government legislation changes which continued to impede our viability.”
John Cartwright added: “It has been a really sad time for us – particularly as Cartwright Bros celebrated eight decades in business in January this year. We are so grateful to our wonderful staff whom we are supporting in the recruitment process going forward. Some of our people worked for Cartwright Bros for most of their lives and we count them as personal friends.”
The company started in 1944 with just one lorry. At its height, Cartwright Bros had more than 60 wagons on the roads.
Cartwright customers, who have worked with Cartwright Bros for many years, have been quick to commiserate with the cousins and Cartwright staff.
Natasha Crowson, who started her career at Cartwright Bros when she was just 21 has worked for the business for three decades.
She said: “Cartwright Bros has been a fantastic company to work for. My colleagues and I were devastated to hear the news last week – both for the business and its success over the years, but also for Jamie and John who have worked tirelessly to ensure that the company was safe – and staff were looked after.
“The outpouring of love and affection by employees for the directors was wonderful to see last week. Everyone had their own stories of how Jamie and John looked after them over the years – not just as employers but as friends. It was truly a sad day to see this fantastic company close its doors after so long.
“We will all miss seeing the distinctive Cartwright Bros lorries on our roads. The company has been a massive Lincolnshire success story for so long and they will be sadly missed.”