Archive for category: News

We are excited to announce that Radnes Services Limited has been acquired by Bennie Equipment Ltd, a growing and award winning MHE provider headquartered in the Midlands that share our values on raising standards within the industry and delivering the same great customer service to all. Bennie Equipment is part of The Bennie Group (BENNIE), a family run business with over nine decades of history operating in a range of industry sectors.

Bennie Equipment is continuing a strategy of rapid growth through acquisitions, maintaining momentum following three acquisitions in 2025; Len Griffiths Forklift Services in February 2025, Milton Keynes Forklifts in March 2025, and Eastern Forklift Trucks in October 2025.

Jeff and Kevin, Directors at Radnes were looking for a partner to build on the family run legacy and support the business to the next level, providing security and growth opportunities for the dedicated staff and continue the same flexible, knowledgeable and friendly approach for their customers.

“After working so hard to build a genuine family feel within our business, it was essential to us that we partnered with a company that shared those same values, not a distant, rigid corporation. We will continue in the business and remain Directors as we bring together two strong MHE organisations focused on delivering exceptional value to our customers. Joining BENNIE gives us the vital support we need in key areas following the rapid growth we’ve experienced over the past decade. In a constantly evolving market, our combined scale will create meaningful efficiencies across the business as we expand our presence across the South of the UK.

We would like to personally thank all of our customers and suppliers for their continued support, and our staff for their dedication, not just in recent years, but over the past 50 years of our 2nd generation, family-run business. We look forward to seeing the business continue to deliver exceptional, solution focused, and highly competitive forklift services to our many valued customers across London and the South of the UK”.

Jeff further comments: “My dad, Ray Radford, founded Radnes Services in 1973 after more than 25 years in the forklift trade, starting out with my mum, Dorothy, in a small back room of their terraced house. He built the business the only way he knew how; through hard work, treating people with respect and honesty, and simply treating others the way he wanted to be treated himself. Over the years, as the company grew, he brought all of us into the fold, both his sons and his daughter, and Beverley and I are still active in the business today.

Those values shaped my childhood, and they’ve shaped the company ever since. As we move into this next chapter, I want our customers to know that the principles my dad started with are the same ones that will carry forward. The personalised, honest service that’s kept some of our customers with us since day one will always remain at the heart of Radnes.”

As a 4th generation family business with a track record in successful M&A activity in the MHE space, BENNIE is a well-placed and natural fit for Jeff, Kevin and the Radnes team.

BENNIE is on a mission to grow its MHE presence across the UK and the acquisition of Radnes Services Ltd is the latest and marks our sixth milestone in this journey. With coverage across the West, Central, East and now South of England, our strategy to deliver a regional service across the UK continues to deliver. Given the synergies of both businesses, it is business as usual as the partnership gets underway. Both BENNIE and Radnes are absolutely committed to ensuring customers receive excellent levels of support and customer service.

We look forward to continuing to deliver exceptional regional MHE solutions across the South of England and continue to provide our customers with award winning services.

It is no surprise that the global pandemic has changed a lot of things across the world, in both our personal and professional lives. We have all been spending more time indoors, and those of us who go out to work have found new pressures and demands.

The impact has been felt especially strongly in certain sectors of the business world, with one of these being the material handling industry.

One may wonder why exactly the pandemic has caused such a sea change in the material handling industry. With skyrocketing needs that must be met, the sudden pressure has seen the industry struggling to meet demand.

Pandemic shopping habits

A leading reason for this spike in pressure is the increased demand for online shopping. Online shopping has been growing increasingly over the past twenty years, but this is the first time it has been widely essential for the general public.

Usually, most people will have split their shopping between the high street and buying online. However, since March 2020, this has become, at times, impossible. With the high street closing up during lockdowns and many unable to leave their houses due to shielding, pandemic online shopping has peaked, especially with sites like Amazon.

Increased online presence

As well as people ordering from established giants such as Amazon, many other shops that were perhaps not as prevalent in the online sphere have had to make the leap. This means hiring and training new workers in material handling so that demand can be met and smaller businesses can keep their doors open – if only virtually for the time being.

Shops that perhaps did not require warehouses before are now branching out and increasing the need for material handling. This industry has become a vital component of the “new normal” as we turn more and more to online solutions.

Warehousing requirements

People have been spending a lot more time ordering online, with Amazon warehouses busier than ever before. Warehousing demand has grown and grown over the past 12 months – which means more workers are needed in order to meet the needs placed on the eCommerce sector.

The material handling industry ensures that warehouses can get stock moved safely and keep the areas orderly for a quicker, cleaner turnaround. Ensuring that warehouses can meet the demands placed on them, fully trained and experienced material handling professionals are essential workers as they help warehouses to meet the demands which seem to only be growing as time goes by.

Hygiene and compliance

Covid-19 has not only caused a spike in online shopping trends, it has also led to the need for a larger focus on hygiene and a reduction of staff in certain areas. This has also impacted the staff in warehouses and those in the material handling industry.

Because of social distancing regulations, there is often a need for fewer staff to be working at any time, so those who are working are required to be fully trained and able to put in as much work as possible.

Having the correct equipment is also of vital importance – if a warehouse does not have enough heavy lifting equipment, this makes it harder to reach the higher targets set by changing consumer trends. For example, warehouses may need to increase the amount of forklift trucks that they have onsite, either temporarily as the pandemic goes on, or permanently if these customer trends continue in the future.

Meeting rising demand

As demand continues to rise, the material handling industry is integral to warehouses in a plethora of ways. With the eCommerce industry seeking more flexibility in supply chains and requiring more highly customised (and customisable) equipment and services.

Material handling offers essential support when it comes to the transportation of supplies and finished goods, the storage of stock, and even the distribution of both materials and goods across the country and beyond. With online shopping looking set to grow, material handling is becoming more and more innovative in order to meet the unique needs of each company.

How Radnes can help

With over forty years of experience, Radnes is a family run business which offers innovative and reliable solutions for those who need to hire, buy or repair forklift trucks.

With the increased usage of forklifting equipment, you may find that your trucks require more maintenance than usual, or that you simply need to hire more for busy periods. We will even advise you on the best forklift trucks to buy so that your purchase suits your business needs. If you are hiring new staff, we can supply you with training for the forklift trucks, and carry out safety inspections for your peace of mind.

Based near Croydon, Radnes is ready to meet the forklifting needs in the South East of England, all at a very competitive price for our reliable, friendly services.

If you have found your business struggling with Covid and handling, get in touch with Radnes to find out how we can help you to rise up and meet the new pressures that have come along with this far from average year.