HISTORY 1931 - 1984
After slowly but gradually rebuilding the business, Arthur Epsey took over L.W. Cretschmar as owner in 1931 and was thus the new man at the helm of the company.
After founding a branch in Hamburg in 1935, the company entered the second century of business in 1936. Solidity, reliability and mobility were already the foundations of the company philosophy at that time. One year later, in 1937, the Wuppertal branch was founded.
After the end of the war, Cretschmar took over the storage of food for the state government and welfare organisations and the central distribution of care packages.
In the immediate post-war years Cretschmar set up a branch in Bremen and opened a regular Rhine-London service. This was soon followed by shipments to Denmark, Sweden, Spain and Portugal.
Arthur E.H. Espey, the owner's son, joined the company in 1951 as an authorised signatory.
In the same year, Cretschmar opened its own air freight office at Düsseldorf Airport.
At the end of the 1950s, the reorientation of the transport system led to an increasing shift in traffic flows from ships to trucks; in 1957, the new grain and general cargo warehouse in Düsseldorf with a capacity of 14,200 tonnes was completed.
In 1959, Cretschmar moved into a new administration building at Franziusstraße 2, in the harbour area of Düsseldorf. Pneumatic post and telex were the expression of modern office technology at that time.
The 125th anniversary was in 1961. CEO Arthur Espey stated: "Whether by ship, train, car or plane: L.W. Cretschmar feels today as it did in the past as trustee, consultant, organiser and mediator of the shipping industry.”
In the 1960s, regular direct lines of Cretschmar juggernauts led to many European capitals; the Wuppertal branch developed into a focal point for European groupage transport.
Cretschmar Española was founded in 1968 with its registered office in Madrid and its own offices in Barcelona and Irun. This was the beginning of Cretschmar's growing business with Southern Europe.
The Wuppertal branch had developed into a focal point of groupage transport. In 1972 the new forwarding agency centre in Wuppertal-Nächstebereck was ready for occupancy. Regular scheduled services to many cities in Western Europe operated from here.
The following years were characterised by business expansion and service improvements in all areas. In 1979 Cretschmar built a 10,000 sq. m. high bay warehouse on Paul-Thomas-Straße in Düsseldorf.
In 1983, a forwarding facility was commissioned in Hamburg to handle national and international groupage transport.
The purchase of a grain silo and modern forwarding halls in Neuss determined the investments made in 1983 and 1984.
THE ALLIANCE
