Woman working at desk

About Us


We pride ourselves on being a trusted freight forwarding partner to businesses of all sizes and industries. With over 45+ years of freight forwarding experience, we bring a personal touch and an expert level of knowledge to every shipment we handle.

Trusted Freight Forwarding Solutions

With more than 45 years’ experience in international freight forwarding and shipping, we’re proud to still be privately-owned. This gives us an advantage over many larger corporations as we can make agile decisions about our services and business that will benefit our clients.

All of our directors are still actively involved in the day-to-day business, running a tight, hand-picked team, which makes it easy for us to do the best for our clients. We might be a smaller team than many, but we’re big on delivering expert solutions and exceptional service.

We pride ourselves on being the opposite of a faceless organisation filled with contact centres and a myriad departments. Every one of our team – regardless of their role – has a basic understanding of all our clients. It makes your experience better, and adds to our resilience and ability to cope with unforeseen circumstances.

That’s why we’re trusted by many of the UK’s biggest names to handle their shipping needs. We’re proud to include several blue-chip companies among our long-standing clients.

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Jenkar Directors standing shoulder to shoulder

MESSAGE FROM OUR OWNERS

“We take immense pride in our role as the second generation stewarding the family legacy. Since our inception in 1978, our unwavering foundation has been built on the pillars of consistency, honesty, and reliability. With a wealth of over 45 years of business experience, we’re empowered to craft tailored solutions at highly competitive rates, all while upholding the highest standards.

Our mission doesn’t end with meeting client expectations; it extends to exceeding them. This confidence leads our clients to designate us as their preferred ‘Forwarding Agent’. By nurturing strong client relationships and deeply understanding their operations, we’re able to offer a partnership that ensures nothing short of excellence.

This strategic approach allows our clients to focus on their core competencies, with the assurance that we’re doing the same.”

Andrew & Karen Phillips Jenkar Directors & Owners

Directors Karen and Andrew standing together

Our Approach

We make shipping seamless. Sounds simple right? The truth is, it is. We take a straightforward approach to ensure that your cargo reaches its destinations efficiently and reliably. Using a hand-picked team of freight experts and our four decades of experience, we provide you with a personalised service and smart solutions to streamline every step of the process. From the moment you contact us with your shipment details through to the final delivery, we are committed to providing exceptional service and clear communication.

Our user-friendly and intelligent WebTrack platform allows you to track your shipments in real-time, giving you peace of mind that your cargo is heading where it needs to on schedule. No matter the size or contents of your cargo, we tailor our solutions to meet your exact requirements.

We navigate complexities with our seamless shipping solutions so you can focus on what matters most, the growth of your business. We don’t aim to just move goods. We move businesses forward.

Meet The Team

  • Jenkar Director Karen Phillips

    Karen Phillips

    Director

    Karen’s parents set up Jenkar in 1978 and she joined the family business in 1996, starting in the accounts department. She then left for a long maternity leave and 13 years after welcoming her 3 wonderful children, she rejoined Jenkar in 2016 with Andrew in preparation to take over the business. As Director and Company Secretary, Karen mainly oversees the accounts department and works closely with Jenkar’s HR department. Outside of work Karen enjoys spending time with her family, travelling the world and spending time with her dog Scooby.

  • Jenkar Managing Director Andrew Phillips

    Andrew Phillips

    Managing Director

    Andrew began working in the freight forwarding industry in 1996, starting at Jenkar straight after completing his Business and Information Technology degree at university. As the Managing Director of Jenkar, he is responsible for all aspects of the business. This includes overseeing daily operations, strategising for growth and ensuring Jenkar delivers on our promise of consistency, honesty and reliability to our clients. Outside of work, Andrew enjoys playing golf (although not as often as he’d like!) and watching Leeds United and Leeds Rhinos. Over the years, his favourite pastime has become spending time with his family, providing him with joy and relaxation.

  • Jenkar Commercial Director Rob Burns

    Rob Burns

    Commercial Director

    Rob started out in the freight forwarding business 34 years ago, making the move to Jenkar 2 years ago. Rob joined the team as our Commercial Director, working closely with Andrew E to plan, develop and implement commercial strategies based on company goals to support and accelerate business growth. When he’s not at work, Rob’s hobbies and interests include photography, cricket and The History of the Existentialist and Phenomenological Philosophical Movement.

  • Jenkar Operations Director Andrew Etherington

    Andrew Etherington

    Operations Director

    Andrew has been in the freight forwarding industry for almost 25 years, the exact amount of time he’s also been at Jenkar! He started out at Jenkar initially on the Operations desk, handling export bookings and customs entries before moving into the internal sales department. 25 years later, Andrew now works as our Operations Director, managing, motivating and leading the team to drive the business forward. Andrew has three grandsons, all under the age of 16 months who keep him busy when he’s not at work. He also enjoys spending time at the gym, watching most sports and heading down to Elland Road to watch Leeds United play.

  • Scooby Doo Phillips

    Director of Treats, Cuddles and Walks

    He may not be the most knowledgeable on freight forwarding, but Scooby is as much a part of the Jenkar family as everyone else. His role includes sneaking biscuits from the team’s desk drawers and ensuring that everyone gets their daily dose of cuddles.

Jenkar Logo

Why the bird logo?

Our logo features the arctic tern (also known as the sea swallow) – the species with the longest migration in the animal kingdom. Some birds travel more than 56,000 miles every year, experiencing two summers as they cross continents.

The determination of the arctic tern as it embarks on such epic journeys embodies exactly how we do business. We strive for the right solution for our clients every time, no matter how complex the solution is. The arctic tern’s incredible migration is not only a literal interpretation of our international service but a reflection of our ethos about how far we will go for you.

Jenkar warehouse worker

Going the extra mile

Like the arctic tern, we’ll always go as far as possible to make international shipping easy for you. We combine our expertise, experience and personal customer service with advanced technology to provide you with a seamless experience that’ll leave you coming back for more.

Whether it’s sorting out the correct paperwork to ensure your shipment is compliant, booking transportation for your cargo or storing your goods in our warehousing facility, we’ll ensure that your freight gets where it needs to go, when it needs to. What more could you ask for?

The Give a Duck Foundation

Seamless shipping isn’t the only thing we’re passionate about at Jenkar. Charity is also at the heart of our business and we are proud to support The Give A Duck Foundation.

Founded by Jenkar’s Directors, Karen and Andrew, The Give A Duck Foundation is a children’s cancer charity that aims to support children throughout the UK that have been diagnosed with cancer. 

The foundation provides Chemo Ducks to children in hospital that are fitted with medical lines and ports to mirror their own. Through play therapy with the Chemo Duck, children are prepared for their treatment, making things less scary and providing a more relaxing way to discuss what will happen to them in hospital. Give A Duck raises funds to provide as many children in the UK who have been diagnosed with cancer with a Chemo Duck so they can feel more in control and less anxious.

LEARN MORE
Give a Duck employees holding a Chemoduck

Keep In The Know

Stay up to date with the latest trends, news and updates in the freight forwarding industry to ensure that your logistics operations are always optimised for efficiency.

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