Newsletter - May 2025

SPEED COURIERS MANCHESTER CELEBRATES 40 YEARS OF RESILIENCE, GROWTH & SUCCESS

This May, Speed Couriers proudly celebrates 40 years in business, marking a milestone few independent courier companies achieve. Speed Couriers were also a founding member of the NCA, which merged with the DA to become the NCDA in its current form. 

In a formal press release Shaun Merrick, Founder and Owner stated "Before anything else, I want to say a huge thank you to all the team and the many drivers and riders who have worked with us over the years all of whom have helped to make Speed Couriers what it is today. I’m also incredibly proud that we still have original clients from the 1980s, which speaks volumes about the quality and reliability of our service." 

Of the company’s first headquarters   A rat-infested, derelict railway station house, which served as both office and home for three years. Shaun jokes. "Glamour wasn’t exactly part of the package, but we made it work—because we had no choice."

Speed Couriers started with a royal connection, receiving a grant from the Prince’s Youth Business Trust. Despite this support, the first month’s turnover was just £9.50, and by the end of the first year, total revenue reached £39,000—with a net profit of only £3,000, barely enough to survive.

Shaun recalls. "We didn’t pay ourselves for the first six months, and when we finally did, it was a hardly generous £33 a week—the same as unemployment benefits at the time!"

Speed Couriers has since grown into Manchester’s most trusted independent same-day courier, with particular expertise in medical logistics. The company operates a diverse fleet, and beyond same-day transport, Speed Couriers has expanded into warehousing, specialist distribution, and pick-pack solutions, now operating out of both Manchester and Glasgow.

Well done Team Speed and here's to the next 40 years!