Sibley Material Movements Ltd

General information

Thomas Sibley set up his corner store in Freemantle, Southampton in 1896, offering general grocery, corn and coal. It was hard work and Tom would make his son William go out before he went to school on a delivery round, taking anything from coke and coal, to corn, fruit and vegetables.

Upon returning from First World War William decided to buy out his father with an annuity. By 1935 the family company had officially become W.T. Sibley (Haulage) Limited. Other in-laws and family members joined the business over the years. W.T. Sibley's sons, William Jr and Ronald, became involved either side of World War II.

William Sibley died in 1952. He was only 58 years of age, but he had achieved a great deal in establishing the haulage business as a major player in the city's commercial sector. The company motto 'We deliver the goods' had been coined by W.T. and his family continued to live up to the message after he had gone.

During the 1960s other businesses were purchased as the company went from strength to strength. In 1978 William's son Ron, the man chiefly responsible for taking all this heritage and expertise and turning it into a modern business, bought out his brother Bill and began running the business under the trade name of Sibley Material Movements. Ron's son John, joined at the same time, taking the family involvement into a fourth generation. Ron bought out the rest of the family and renamed the firm Sibley Material Movements Limited. The Edbro Agency was acquired in the early 1990s along with the repair and maintenance of third party vehicles.

Ron Sibley retired in 1997 after 45 years' service. He left confident in the knowledge that clients like Foster Yeoman, U.M.A. Limited, Hanson Aggregates and many more would continue to be well served. John Sibley continues the family line, stretching back to his great grandfather.

Current MD John Sibley with Ivor Tomlinson, the company's longest serving driver (over 30 years)