Santa Fe Relocation

Santa Fe Relocation (trading as Santa Fe Group A/S)^[1] is a global mobility company, providing relocation services. This includes moving, destination services, immigration and full assignment management solutions. Throughout the 1900s and in more recent times, a number of companies and corporations have amalgamated to form Santa Fe Relocation. The oldest of Santa Fe's brands is Wridgways, founded in 1892 in Australia. ^[2]

Santa Fe was founded in 1980, before it was acquired by the East Asiatic Company in 1988. In recent years, Santa Fe carried out the acquisition of two major relocation firms, one based in Australia and the other based in Europe. They acquired Australian-based Wridgways in a deal worth AUD 89 million. At the time, they were the only removal company to be listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. They also acquired Interdean, one of Europe's largest removal firms.

Santa Fe’s parent company, The East Asiatic Company, changed its name to Santa Fe Group A/S in 2015^[3] but remained listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange under the new name.

Early history

The origin of Santa Fe Relocation Services began in 1884^[4], when Captain Hans Niels Andersen established Andersen & Co. in Bangkok, Thailand. In 1897, H.N. Andersen founded the East Asiatic Company and listed it on the stock exchange in Denmark. EAC soon grew to become a major shipping, trading and industry conglomerate with offices located all over the world. Shipping, moving and relocation have been a major part of the business for many years. In the early 1900s, EAC launched MS Selandia, the World’s first diesel motor ship to travel in open ocean^[5].

Selandia's importance for Denmark meant that the Danish crown prince and princess were aboard its maiden voyage. The ship visited London first, received a visit from Winston Churchill, before finishing its voyage in Antwerp, Belgium. A number of partnerships were formed by EAC, allowing them to expand their freight and passenger lines. In the early 1900s, EAC were responsible for running a number of major lines, including the Russian American Line and Baltic American Line^[6]. From the early 1900s, the company was a pioneer in the development of large motor ships, working with various well-known shipping magnates and organisations at the time. Burmeister & Wain, Ivar Knudsen and Barclay, Curle & Company. A number of large ships made EAC one of the largest corporations in Europe prior to World War II.

By the 1970's, EAC was considered the largest company by turnover in the Nordic countries^[7]. In 1980, Santa Fe was formed in Hong Kong. The removal and relocation experts operated predominately in Asia, before they were acquired by East Asiatic Company in 1988. As part of the deal, a number of EAC employees moved over to the subsidiary, including Lars Lykke Iversen. From that point forward, Santa Fe grew aggressively, acquiring a number of large organisations^[8].

Expansion

In 1892, Wridgways was founded in Australia. Following World War II, the company felt it was now safe to expand their business into Europe. They opened their first European offices in Germany, in 1959. Three years later, they opened an office in Russia. Global expansion continued into the 1980s, when they moved into the Asian-market, opening offices in Hong Kong in 1980 and China in 1985.^[9]

During the 1990s, they were considered one of the largest removal companies globally and in 1999, became the only removal company to be floated on the Australian Stock Exchange. To date, they are the only removal company to have ever been listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Wridgways always struggled to compete globally and therefore became an attractive acquisition option for global removal firms, as they specialised in a single market^[10]. Following their success in their domestic market, Santa Fe announced they were acquiring the company in 2010^[11].

Santa Fe acquired Interdean a year later in 2011. The company was recognised as one of the largest relocation companies in Europe, after they were founded in 1959. They originated in Germany, before expanding into mainland Europe in the 1990s, following the fall of the Berlin Wall.^[3][10] The company was headquartered in London at the time of the acquisition, with 48 offices across Europe and 1,200 employees.^[11]

In 2010 and 2011, Santa Fe carried out two major acquisitions. The first was for the Australian-based company, Wridgways, in a deal worth AUD 89 million.^[5] The second was for European-based Interdean, raising their staffing levels to over 3,000 globally.^[12]

Santa Fe re-branded Interdean to Santa Fe Relocation Services in 2015.^[13] Santa Fe refreshed it's identity once again in 2017 when a new digital friendly logo^[14] is launched on their website.

Accreditations

• FIDI FAIM Plus
• ISO9001 Quality Management
• ISO14001 Environmental  Management
• OHSAS18001 Health & Safety management
• ISO27001 Data Security
• Worldwide ERC^[15]
• EURA (European Relocation Association)^[16]
• Fidi^[17]
• ----

Recent Awards

2017 ^[18]FEM EMMA Relocation management company of the year.

See also

·        Wridgways

·        Removal services

·        Hans Niels Andersen

·        East Asiatic Company