Urban Final-Mile Delivery Firm Launches

RELM Logistics (Consultants) officially launched this week with a bold mission: to revolutionise final-mile urban delivery by making it cleaner, smarter, and more cost-effective. As congestion, emissions, and operational costs continue to climb in city centres, RELM offers a compelling new model that leverages micro-mobility, containerisation, and data-driven fleet optimisation.

Founded by a team with over 70 years of collective logistics experience, RELM is a specialist consultancy helping logistics operators, retailers, and local authorities navigate the complex realities of urban deliveries. The consultancy draws on real-world results — including eight years of successful cargobike-based 3PL operations — to offer clients tailored solutions that reduce emissions while improving efficiency.

“The logistics sector is under immense pressure to cut costs and emissions, but simply electrifying van fleets isn’t enough,” says RELM founder James FitzGerald. “We’re here to help businesses go beyond compliance — to reimagine the urban supply chain entirely.”

Cleaner Air Through Smarter Logistics

Urban centres now face unprecedented delivery challenges: congestion has driven average city speeds below 10mph; Low and Zero Emission Zones are expanding; and parking restrictions lead to costly PCNs. Meanwhile, over 20% of the UK’s population live or work in just ten dense cities — making sustainable, high-efficiency urban logistics more urgent than ever. RELM’s multi-modal, Swiss Army knife approach replaces ‘van think’ with adaptable, data-led fleet composition. High-capacity cargo bikes — with 2m³ volume and up to 300kg payloads — are central to this shift, often outperforming traditional vans in dense urban environments while cutting emissions and cost-per-drop.

Micro-Containerisation: The Game Changer

RELM highlights micro-containerisation as the future of urban logistics. This innovative model streamlines the entire delivery chain, reducing handling, boosting rider productivity, and enhancing traceability. In recent trials with a national grocery retailer, cargo bikes using pre-packed containers matched — and in some cases surpassed — vans in both speed and energy use, even in demanding ‘pick from store’ models.

For parcel carriers, containerisation offers even greater returns. One national delivery firm recorded a 30–45 minute daily time-saving per driver by shifting overnight packing away from riders. RELM sees this as just the beginning. “Implementing micro-containerisation isn’t just a final-mile fix — it’s a full supply chain upgrade,” says the RELM team. “It enables scalable, repeatable systems that drive down cost and emissions at every stage.”

Hands-On Expertise, Real-World Impact

From cold chain compliance to charging infrastructure, RELM supports every aspect of a successful transition to micro-mobility. Services include:

• Vehicle selection and field trials
• Site audits and logistics benchmarking
• Rider recruitment, training, and ops setup
• Lithium-ion battery safety and charging guidance
• Custom fabrication for specialised goods
• Cold-chain and oversized freight solutions
• New vehicle integration with existing route optimisation software
• Micro-mobility fleet maintenance and workshop facility design and operation

Having worked with past clients including Harrods, Sainsbury’s, Co-op, Ocado Zoom, and multiple London boroughs, the team at RELM bring proven experience to help businesses not just adapt — but lead.

E-Commerce at a Crossroads

UK online retail has surged from 3% of sales in 2006 to nearly 30% today — but RELM argues the ceiling could be far higher if logistics costs weren’t a limiting factor. “Retailers are reaching the limits of cost-efficiency with current models,” says RELM. “Physical stores won’t get cheaper — but online fulfilment can. Real gains lie in operational redesign, not just swapping vans for smaller vans.”

With strategic implementation of containerisation and micro-mobility, RELM believes businesses could push ecommerce penetration to 60% and beyond. “The winners will be those who master this shift. The rest will fall behind.”

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