Crown Worldwide Group

The Crown Worldwide Group, headquartered in Hong Kong, provides a range of logistics and related services: personal effects transportation and storage from offices in 53 countries. Services include international and domestic household goods shipments, global mobility, immigration, departure, destination and setting in services, fine art storage and transportation, hard and soft copy records management and storage, freight forwarding, third-party distribution, wine storage, office fit out and commercial relocation.

Crown Worldwide Group
TypePrivately owned
IndustryTransportation, Relocation services, Logistics, Records Management, Warehouse Storage, Facilities Management, Art Installation, Corporate Moving, Interior fit-outs, Office Design
Founded1965
FounderJames E. Thompson
HeadquartersGlobal/ APAC HQ
Hong Kong
Americas HQ
New York
EMEA HQ
London
Area served
Worldwide
over 270 locations, 53 countries
Key people
James E. Thompson
Founder & Chairman
Ken Madrid
Group and APAC CEO
Barry Koolen
CEO EMEA
Jennifer Harvey
CEO Americas
Number of employees
over 4,000 (2018)
DivisionsCrown World Mobility
Crown Relocation
Crown Records Management
Crown Fine Art
Crown Workspace
Crown Logistics
Crown Wine Cellars
Websitecrownworldwide.com

Company overview
Crown Beijing, China

In 2018, Crown Worldwide Group generated revenue of approximately US$828 million, owned assets of $736 million.

Operating more than 8.5 million square feet of warehouse space, one of the company's principal strategies is to continuously invest in new facilities. The Group includes: Crown World Mobility, Crown Relocations, Crown Records Management, Crown Fine Art, Crown Logistics, Crown Wine Cellars and the latest addition of Crown Workspace.

History
Crown's first warehouse, 1965

In 1965, American Jim Thompson (then residing in Yokohama, Japan), recognized the need for an international moving service, so established Crown Worldwide Group. With $1,000 he established Transport Services International (as it was then known) in Yokohama with one office.

In 1970, the company expanded into Hong Kong and then into Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and other Asia Pacific locations. In 1975, Transport Services International became Crown Pacific, and by the early 1980s, was firmly established in Asia. As a result of the increased mobility of the global population, further growth and offices were established across America, Australasia, and Europe. These developments accompanied a new company name, Crown Worldwide Group.

Thompson is the founder and chairman. He graduated from San Jose State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He travelled to Asia shortly after graduation and has lived in Japan and Hong Kong ever since. Thompson is a U.S. citizen and a permanent resident of Hong Kong

In 2002, Jim Thompson, realized that there were no wine cellars in Asia. He made a proposal, to the Hong Kong Government to convert the Central Ordnance Munitions Depot into a commercial wine cellar, with a private members clubhouse and conservatory. After negotiating with 22 government departments and signing a seven-year lease, Crown Worldwide Group invested HKD 30 million ($3.8 million), and the Crown Wine Cellars opened in 2003. The Hong Kong wine cellars occupy four of 12 original pairs of bunkers. The clubhouse has three reception areas, two of which are located approximately twenty meters underground. They can accommodate approximately one hundred people for seated dinner events and over two hundred people for private cocktails functions.

Crown Wine Cellars has subsequently opened facilities in Mainland China. The Hong Kong facility, located in a park-like setting in Shouson Hill, a suburb on Hong Kong Island, consists of two underground bunkers built by the British during World War II. Crown converted the bunkers and opened a private members' clubhouse.

Important milestones

In the 55 years that Crown has existed, it has reached and achieved many defining milestones.

Having previously provided transportation of two expositions for the Louvre Museum, "Le Christ mort" and "Le sacre de Napoleon." Crown Fine Art handled the relocation of the Mona Lisa in 2005.

The museum curator sought professional help removing the painting to change the frame and re-hang it. The Crown Fine Art team reported that although the Mona Lisa is a small painting, it is so well secured that it is actually heavy.

In April, 2007, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong SAR Government, China presented two young pandas to Hong Kong. Crown Relocations was involved in transporting the pandas to their new home in Ocean Park Hong Kong, a marine-based theme park located on the southern side of Hong Kong Island. The giant pandas arrived on 26 April 2007, and were unveiled to the public on 1 July, the 10th anniversary of the Hong Kong SAR government.

More recently, the newest brand of the Group, Crown Workspace has seen a massive rise since its launch and in 2018 Workspace saw the acquisitions of Fusion Workplace Services (FIL) and Premier Workplace Services.

Crown Fine Art supported the Rijksmuseum in the start of Operation Night Watch by moving the painting by Rembrandt (1642) for the third time.

Being the biggest and most wide-ranging research and conservation project in the history of Rembrandt's masterpiece, the move, led by the Rijksmuseum alongside Crown Fine Art experts, is the first since 11 December 2003, when Crown Fine Art successfully moved the painting to the Philips Wing in the Rijksmuseum for the museum's ten-year renovation.

Brands and marques
Crown truck featuring the company's red and yellow colours

Brands

Crown World Mobility – provides corporate relocation services for companies moving employees internationally or domestically.  

Crown Relocations – provides removal and transportation services to assist people relocating both internationally and domestically. Crown Relocations also provide services to support other aspects of a relocation, such as obtaining visas, family support and purchasing real estate in a customer's new home.

Crown Records Management – provides secure document storage, management, destruction of records and high-level consolation, to organizations in over 40 countries throughout the world.

Crown Fine Art – provides transportation, installation and storage services.

Crown Workspace – provides a tailored approach to office design, interior fit-outs and commercial relocations.

Crown Logistics – provides international freight forwarding, logistics for furniture fixtures and equipment and the hotel and oil and gas industries.

Crown Wine Cellars – offers wine storage and handling at facilities in Hong Kong and mainland China.

Marques

Generally, in 1970 commercial trucks in Hong Kong were red and black, so Crown Pacific adopted these colors, featuring on the company business cards. Over time, more emphasis was placed on the red and the crown symbol was always visible on the logo.

Today, the company uses the Crown name and specified logo, with the tag of its various services.

Crown Worldwide celebrates its 50th anniversary

On 4 February 2015, Crown Worldwide celebrated its 50th anniversary. To commemorate the anniversary, Jim Thompson traveled to Yokohama, Japan, to thank the Mayor of Yokohama, Fumiko Hayashi, and the city for hosting the company for half a century.

Celebrations took place around the Crown world, starting in New Zealand and finishing in Hawaii.

What does Jim Thompson consider to be the likely future for his company? "The future is very bright, because we’re stable and financially secure and have a solid management team to continue to take the company forward. It’s a brand people trust, which has for 50 years upheld important values".

References
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