About The United Kingdom Warehousing Association

About Us

About Us

UKWA is the leading trade organisation for the warehousing sector, with over 900 members.

Full members include warehousing and logistics providers as well as manufacturers, retailers and wholesalers.

Around 200 Associate members are suppliers of products and services to the logistics industry.

Our role is to:

Represent members’ views to government departments and other policy influencers
Promote the warehousing and wider logistics industry
Protect the interests of members by offering effective Conditions of Contract
Raise industry standards through training and best practice

UKWA History

1944

First established when representatives from warehousing companies formed a Committee to discuss the storage and distribution of food and materials in wartime Britain. Originally known as the National Association of Inland Warehouse Keepers – its role was to protect and further the interests of public warehouse keepers operating outside the major ports.

1952

After the war, the Association’s name was changed as many members by then were operating facilities within the ports as well as ‘Inland’.

1982

National Association of Warehouse Keepers merged with the British Public Warehouse Keepers Committee, further strengthening the Association’s base.

1994

The Association celebrated its 50th Anniversary and changed its name again to the United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA).

1997

UKWA changes status to Limited by Guarantee.

2002

New UKWA logo developed.

2017

UKWA adds new Logistics Users category to membership.

2019

UKWA celebrates 75th Anniversary.

2022

UKWA logo refreshed and new website launched

Today

UKWA is a well-respected trade association, representing over 900 member companies, who together operate around 100 million square feet of warehousing and distribution centre space, with some 2000 locations across the UK.

The Association now embraces all companies operating in the logistics sector and, as the voice of the industry, fulfils the following key roles:

Representing members’ views to government departments and agencies, Parliament and other relevant organisations
Promoting the warehousing and wider logistics industry
Protecting the interests of members by offering effective Conditions of Contract
Raising the standards of the industry through training and best practice

Advisory Boards

Our Advisory Boards identify trends, provide expert insight and share knowledge and best practice. Those sitting on the Advisory Boards are drawn from leading practitioners in their respective fields and usually include a mix of UKWA members and independent advisors.

To keep pace with the needs of a changing and innovative freight and logistics sector UKWA currently has five Advisory Boards, which address some of the challenges identified in the Future of Freight Plan:

Property & Planning – to cover the National Freight Network and respond to government’s call for evidence on planning;
Energy & Net Zero – to address climate change, feed into the government’s Freight Energy Forum and support our drive for Solar PV on warehouses;
People & Skills – to support UKWA’s work on training and tackling the labour crisis;
Digitalisation & Technology – to promote the adoption of technology including IT systems, MHE and robotics;
Young People – to support the industry’s involvement in the Generation Logistics campaign.

The Advisory Boards enable UKWA to respond to consultative documents from governmental departments on behalf of the membership; and ensure that the Association is equipped to provide the best possible up to date advice and support to members.

Please contact us if you would like to contribute.

Governance

As the leading trade organisation for the warehousing sector, UKWA is governed by a team of highly respected industry professionals working in senior positions throughout the sector. This carefully selected Governing Board allows UKWA to draw upon their collective knowledge and experience to guide the full time Executive Team to successfully influence government policy and promote industry best practice.