Purdie Worldwide Removals & Storage

Purdie Worldwide: removals and storage from Blackburn, West Lothian

Purdie Worldwide Removals & Storage Ltd is a family business that traces its origins to 1960, when Matt Purdie ran a coal merchant operation and began carrying furniture on the back of his coal lorry for local people moving house. The company states that the removal side of the business grew from the purchase of a first removal truck in the early 1960s, and that Matt Purdie & Sons has since passed through two further generations. The firm describes itself as one of Scotland's largest independent removal companies and reports more than 65 years of moving experience.

Its operating base is in Blackburn, West Lothian, and the company presents itself as a Central Scotland-based operator serving the UK and destinations worldwide. Matt Purdie & Sons is identified on the site as an ATN of Purdie Worldwide Removals & Storage Ltd.

Removal services across household, commercial and international moves

The service range is organised around several distinct types of move:

• Home removals for domestic moves.
• Commercial moving for business relocations.
• European removals.
• International removals.
• Piano moving.
• Heavy equipment moving.

Alongside the moves themselves, the company offers a removals volume calculator to help estimate the scale of a job, and a shipping service for worldwide destinations in which the company states it handles the associated paperwork. A free home removal app for Android and Apple devices lets customers give a self-guided tour of their property or book a virtual survey with one of the company's home moving surveyors.

Storage formats and collection

Storage is offered on both a short-term and long-term basis. The formats listed are self-storage units, containerised storage and archive storage, and the company also provides storage with collection. Two calculators, one for storage and one for removals volume, support planning of the space required.

Shredding and confidential data destruction

A certified shredding service covers confidential documents and includes a 14 kg shredding bag. The company also states that it can destroy old hard drives as part of its digital data destruction work.

Boxes, supplies and property maintenance

Moving boxes and supplies, from boxes to bubble wrap, can be ordered online and collected in store within the hour, according to the site. A separate home improvement service operates under the Purdie Property Maintenance name, presented as part of the same brand and family ownership.

Scale, accreditations and recognition

The company quantifies its operation at 22 removal trucks and more than 30 professional staff. It states that it is BAR registered and approved, holds nine quality standards, and adheres to the British Association of Removers Alternative Dispute Resolution Scheme, which it notes is independently operated. It also reports having been named BAR Mover of the Year in 2010 and describes its development from 2015 into a global logistics specialist with regular trips across the continent and further afield.

Among the projects the company lists are moves for Giraffe About Town, the Oor Wullie sculpture trail, a high school, West Lothian Council and a Jabil office relocation, as well as a commercial case study on moving a giant brain in work with Alzheimer Scotland. The site also references a Macmillan connection and a QSS section.

Customer feedback and additional services

The testimonials published on the site are uniformly positive, with reviewers commenting on pricing, the helpfulness of the moving teams, communication about timescales and careful handling. One reviewer, Laura Fernandez, notes a good price for the job and excellent movers; James Johnstone highlights a polite and friendly team and clear information on timescales; Mairi Ritchie describes the service as removing part of the stress of a house move. These are individual accounts rather than an aggregate rating.

The company also advertises international money transfers through a partner called World Currencies, presented as a service for people moving abroad. Its blog covers practical topics such as storage collection and delivery, moving to Denmark from the UK, choosing a country to move to and what to do with a car when relocating abroad.