History
Colemans Removals, a family run removal company, will celebrate their 27th birthday this year. Ken, Carol and son Philip Coleman have become a highly successful removal company having survived through some difficult times.
Ken Coleman followed in his family footsteps working on the London docks. But the docks were changing and other methods of import and export meant that Ken found himself being more and more involved in organising exports. At this time Ken also got involved in moving American air bases throughout England. Eventually Ken and his wife Carol moved from the east end of London to Diss with their children Nicola and Philip, still working on the air bases but they were also doing local removals in the Diss area. Business was steady until the recession hit, house moves had gone from on average twelve moves a week to just one if they were lucky!
The Colemans never gave up and fortunately son Philip began to show interest in the family business, he was still at school but gave up his evenings and weekends to help out.
After a while the recession eased and people began moving again so business began to pick up. When Philip left school he immediately joined the business full time. With Carol solely running the busy office and Ken estimating to bring in the work, the three (now partners) became a strong team. With Ken and Carol’s experience and Phillip’s young enthusiastic approach it was inevitable that Colemans would survive to be a highly successful removal company. With the removals under control Carol started Colemans Storage, a sister facilities company, as more and more people needed storage in between moves. Overseas removals soon followed.
Ken and Philip have moved people all over Europe as well as around the UK. The Colemans also arrange worldwide packaging. Shipping, importing and exporting effects from and to all over the world.
The Colemans could see their service had to be of the highest standard with customers requesting storage as well as removals and as a result people have used them over and over again. They have moved one family at least sixteen times!
It is well known the moving house is one of the most stressful things you can go through. Most would agree that the experience could leave you vulnerable and anxious with your entire private and most cherished possessions at stake. The Colemans understand this and have dealt with just about everything that you could think of over the past twenty-five years. They have moved aeroplanes, a three wheel car and countless of odd shaped pieces of furniture up steep, winding staircases sometimes using scaffolding, hoists, forklift trucks, cranes etc.
The Colemans have always specialised in moving pianos of every shape and size, sometimes taking them to concerts at Snape Maltings, Bury Festival and beyond. One of the most unusual items was to move the Norwich City goalposts for someone who had bought them locally. As well as domestic removals the Coleman team have moved may commercial businesses these have included just about every pub in Diss, restaurants, schools, machinery and many offices. ……they have also on occasions moved the odd celebrity!
Over the past twenty-five years Ken, Carol, Philip and team have seen and experienced it all. Recently they have carried out removals at St. James’s Palace and the Tower of London. Nothing is too big or too small!
Now that the business is doing well. Philip has taken more of a managerial role overseeing the moves and with Carol still single handily running the busy office and Ken estimating. The company now employs nine members of staff and has a fleet of five trucks with a containerised storage facility. All staff are trained to a high standard and are expert in all kinds of packing, lifting, manoeuvring, weight distribution and export packing.
Gone are the days of tea chests, newspapers and boxes from the supermarket. All packaging is purpose made. The business of moving has moved with the times and the Colemans have kept moving with it!
Tower of London
