2025 marks John Gregory’s 40th year at the helm of the business. We spoke to him to find out about his early memories of Gregory Group, his journey to date, and what he has planned for the future. [Pictured: John Gregory on his first day in 1985 next to his father, Jack Gregory.]
What is your first memory of Gregory Group?
My first memory was living in Fore Street in North Tawton and the business being 200 yards down the road. My grandparents lived just a little bit further down so nothing in our lives was further than 400 yards from where we lived!
It’s a small town, people didn’t travel as much in those days, and a lot of people worked there, so everyone knew Gregory, which made for a strong bond.
Did you always think you would take over the reins?
I’m the middle of three sons. After school and doing a degree, I went off to Australia, via Hong Kong. I expected to be there for a year or so and then come back and get a job somewhere else. But my business career in Australia was really exciting and I ended up staying for five years.
During the time I was there my father asked me if I was interested in going back to England and getting involved in the business. That was the first time it was discussed.
My eldest brother had a legal career and my younger brother a teaching career. I was definitely interested in business and therefore more aligned to Gregory than my brothers.
What were those early days like?
When I started in 1985, I had an arrangement with my father that if he didn’t think I was any good within two years, he would tell me and I would leave the business. If I wanted to leave in that period, I could also do so. My father was keen to retire and he actually only stayed at the business for one month after I arrived back.
Those early days were quite a shock to my system. I grew up seeing what seemed a huge family business in North Tawton but then went off and gained experience in international businesses in Australia and the Far East. All of a sudden, the world I grew up in as a child, felt much smaller.
Back then, in this sector, each transport business had its own customers and that was that. There was no interest in deviating from the norm.
What changed?
In the latter part of the 80s, a more entrepreneurial culture developed in the UK and it was all about timing. I was the right person in the right place at the right time.
I wanted to take advantage of that, so I started by literally walking up and down the aisles of supermarkets finding out where something came from. If we already had a truck in say Peterborough, I’d try and find something that came from Peterborough and get their transport into the South West.
Key for me was utilisation. We had 168 hours in each week and I wanted to get as many productive miles out of the truck as possible. I got into the detail in a big way. My father brought me up to identify with the cost of a business and I was driven to protect the margin.
What advice did your Dad give you?
Not to say “no” and he strongly advised me to be risk averse.
Did you heed his advice?
Many people think I am not risk averse, but I think I am. I regret not taking advantage of certain situations over the years. But I think any entrepreneur that sticks with a business for 40 years usually has to be involved in some risky things, whilst trying to pretend that they are risk adverse!
Would Gregory Group be where it is now if you hadn’t had the business experience you gained before joining the family business?
It gave me a lot of confidence. I was very fortunate in the two businesses I worked for and I had brilliant people who supported me. During my time there I realised that you have to be creative to influence a business. It also proved to me that if you work hard you can achieve a lot.
Looking back on your 40 years, is there anything you would have done differently?
Yes, I’ve been too cautious. I’m defining that separate from risk!
On some occasions big would have been better. I always remember one customer wanting us to do more work in the Midlands and when we declined, he told me I lacked ambition. At the time, he was actually right. I wasn’t ready to poke our nose into the Midlands when, during that era, we were very much South West focused. We have a presence there now, but I wish I’d been bolder back then.
I also wish that I knew more people who work at Gregory Group. But one of my failings is that I’m appalling at remembering names and I am socially inept at communicating with people when I have other things on my mind!
In the last 40 years we’ve grown significantly. What do you feel are the key ingredients to that success?
It’s all about the people. People at every level – the driver, warehouse person, person in the yard, person in the office. But for me, it all starts in the transport office. It’s all about the relationship between the operator and the driver. They are the ones who can influence the revenue on the truck and the cost of that truck on the day-to-day operation. The support team can add all sorts around that, but it starts and stops at the frontend.
I also reflect on the decision to link the Scottish market to the South West as a particularly strong move. These two parts of the country are relatively low volume but particularly difficult to operate in. For the historic big players, they did not have a strong presence in either market which gave us a real opportunity.
What makes us different to others in this industry?
We offer solutions to our customers that are different to their current solutions and with that we are able to add value to their business. If we can add value to our customers, our customers value us.
We can do this because we’ve always been innovative. We think beyond what others in the industry are thinking. For example, when we introduced training into the business we were way ahead of our competitors. Trainers didn’t exist in logistics and nor did the annual requirement for CPC training. But we could see the value so started training and developing our drivers.
Another example is truck utilisation. I was a strong believer in keeping the trucks on the road day and night and 7 days a week. In the early days few others in the industry thought this was a good idea, but we stuck to our guns and this is now a common practice across our industry.
Would we be where we are today without acquisitions?
No. Acquisitions have been a good way to develop the business. The Scottish businesses are key to our DNA today.
How do you decide which businesses to acquire?
We’ve been approached to buy hundreds of businesses. Sometimes we’re interested but 90% of the time we aren’t.
It’s about identifying if there are people who are good at developing the business and if they have the customer base to support their vision. If they do, we’re very interested. I also like family businesses – businesses with heritage. Particularly those which have the next generation keen to continue the business.
How does logistics compare today vs 40 years ago?
Back then the margins were fantastic compared to what they are today. By 1994 the margins started to decline and the industry got much more competitive. Between 1994 and 2004, our margins went from 14% to 4%.
What would you change about this industry?
We have seen major changes in this industry before and I think we are due another shift. Thirty years ago, it was incredibly tough in this industry but a huge amount of transport businesses survived because of the creation of the pallet networks.
In 2025, we are arguably facing an even tougher time. The cost is overwhelming for many in the industry and managing customers when you have cost pressures like we have today is unfortunately pushing businesses over the edge at an accelerated rate.
We’re also seeing the age demographic of drivers creep up and a society that demands a different work/life balance to 40 years ago. There’s a shortage of skilled labour, people are working too many hours, and either the rates aren’t high enough, or the costs are too great.
Something has to give. But this isn’t something one person can change; it needs to be a mass change across the industry. My prediction is that we’ll reach this point in the next 5 years, and it’ll probably see a huge consolidation of businesses in this sector.
What might we not know about you?
I support Plymouth Argyle rather than Exeter City. That is because, when I was growing up, the most famous footballer in Devon came from North Tawton. He was called Norman Piper and he played for Plymouth Argyle.
What does it feel like fronting a company with your name above the door?
While the company name is very personal to me, it doesn’t burden me. I love this business to the point that it is no burden.
What are some of your proudest moments?
Collectively we’ve achieved a lot. Some of the prominent moments that stand out for me are having our centenary with Prince Charles and being voted the West of England Business of the Year in 2010. That was voted for by peers across many sectors and was a great accolade at the time.
Looking beyond individual events, I am proud of how we have broken the mould when it comes to women in this industry. When I started 40 years ago there was just one woman working in the business. Today, we have two women on the Board and 3% of our drivers are female. This diversity makes our team stronger. But, while we are surpassing the industry average of 1%, I still feel there is more this industry should do to encourage female drivers.
If I think about what has given me the greatest personal satisfaction, it was our involvement in the Olympics. We sponsored five sports people from the South West and we used the process of promoting them to change our livery and give it a new life. That’s where the strapline
“Delivering Winners” came from. Originally it was going to be “Delivering 2012” but the Olympic Committee wouldn’t allow us to use that, so it became “Delivering Winners”. That is now across all our brands and since then, I’ve had a number of companies approach us around the world asking if they could use it.
What were some of the toughest moments from your career?
There’s always risk. There are always some unfortunate situations so that’s always tough. The whole point of generating and growing a business is to be successful, so failure hurts.
What do you love most about your job?
Coming up with a solution or idea that is going to appeal to a customer. Then you feel that collectively, with their people and our own people, we’re on a journey together.
What makes you good at your job?
I think the fact that I am seeking something different every day. I’m never interested in the status quo. But that does mean that getting to the result can frustrate me because, in my eyes, it can take too long!
I’m also good at developing the frontend of the business. That’s because I understand the frontend in fine detail. My natural involvement in the support functions is less, but, thankfully, that’s the strength of others.
Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give to your younger self?
To master the work/life balance! But I gave up on that years ago when I realised I was obsessed with this business. And by acknowledging that, I became much more comfortable in my own skin.
Looking ahead, where do you want Gregory Group to go in the future?
Well, we are over 100 years, but we are going to drop the idea that we’ve been around for 100 years, because we’re going to be around for another 100! I have a clear vision of where this business is going to be after me and it will definitely be in the name of Gregory and all our brands in Scotland.
The foundations and heritage of our business are very strong. Everything in my time will be done to protect that heritage and I think by the time it evolves from me, there is every reason to believe it will continue to grow whilst maintaining the same ethos as today.
There is no hiding from the fact that it is a tough market right now. But, when others less fortunate cannot make it through, it does create an opportunity for strong businesses like ours.
Will you still be leading the business in 10 years?
There’s no reason why not. My initials are JKG – Just Keep Going!
