Vision Logistics was founded in 2000 in Portsmouth, England. What began as a compact logistics enterprise with a loyal customer base soon blossomed into a highly successful company, providing UK-wide logistics for global healthcare brands and fulfilling large-scale NHS contracts.
By 2022, when Vision Logistics was acquired by Life Couriers, the company was averaging 25,000 Direct-to-Patient deliveries each month, with an industry leading first time success rate of over 99.9%. By the time Vision Logistics rebranded to Life Couriers UK in 2024, that number had more than doubled to 55,000 deliveries per month directly into patients’ homes.
Today, Life Couriers UK operate in multiple business lines, adding Radiopharma and Life Science logistics to their Direct-to-Patient expertise. They’ve seen year-on-year growth since acquisition, increased staff retention, and opened up their award-winning service to a global audience – all without sacrificing their >99.9% success rates.
Becoming an agile, globally-focused company
So how has joining the Life Couriers global network changed things in the United Kingdom, and what changes have come about as a result of the acquisition?
Reflecting on his start at the company in 2022, Managing Director of Life Couriers UK, Peter Smith described the business as: “structured, traditional and successful.” So how has joining a global logistics network impacted the way they do business? “I believe the impact has been immeasurably positive across the business in the UK. We still have a high level of autonomy to drive our overall vision of the business forwards, we maintain the agility of a small to medium size business, which is what our customers require; however, we have the ability to draw on the experience of multiple global entities”.
This global expertise has been integral in the implementation of Radiopharma Logistics into Life Couriers UK’s service offering, with the first Radiopharma deliveries being completed in May 2025. This shift would not have been possible without the knowledge and infrastructural proficiency of colleagues in Europe and the Americas who boast over 45 years of experience in the safe transport of Radiopharmaceuticals.
With plans to also introduce the transport of materials for clinical trials and life sciences, the strength of the global network has been instrumental in providing the support required by Life Couriers UK to expand into new lines of business. From an operational and compliance perspective, the knowledge base of the Life Couriers group has allowed the UK team to expand their service offerings whilst also maintaining the incredibly high standards that were established by Vision Logistics and built upon since the acquisition.
Company culture and growth mindset
The transition from an SME into one of the largest Healthcare Logistics organizations in the world has of course brought with it some changes. How has this affected company culture and the values of Vision Logistics from 2022 compared with 2025?
“The fact that we’ve been able to retain the patient-focused mentality that’s at the forefront of our culture has allowed Life Couriers UK to get the best of both worlds and this has been integral to our success over the last few years,” explains Peter Smith.
Indeed, the patient-first mindset of Life Couriers UK has been incorporated by the global group and has since become a cornerstone of the philosophy of the business. That being the ‘culture of CARE’, representing Customer Excellence, Accountability, Respect and Enthusiasm. The adoption of these principles by the Life Couriers group serves as testament to the meaningful nature of the acquisition of Vision Logistics.
Speaking of his decision to pursue the acquisition of Vision Logistics, Matt Silverberg (CCO of Life Couriers) noted: “they understand it takes time to build something truly valuable”. The idea of building something of value in the spirit of collaboration, rather than purely in terms of asset-appreciation, is something that runs through the story of Vision Logistics becoming Life Couriers UK.
Growth as part of a global network
This future-forward approach, enhancing the existing strengths of Vision Logistics (who have operated within the Direct-to-Patient sector since 2008), while also providing the necessary support to allow the business to grow and develop into new areas, has clearly been of great benefit to Life Couriers UK. Since the acquisition in 2022, Life Couriers UK has seen growth of 10% in 2023, and 15% in 2024, with projections to exceed this in 2025.
There are many factors that have contributed to this impressive growth, from enhanced operational effectiveness from being a part of a global network, as well as an expansion in service offerings and customer base. This all stems from the outstanding cross-continental collaboration that is now the norm within the organization.
Reinforcing a commitment to staff
While business growth has been a key factor since 2022, positive changes in company culture is another area which has seen marked improvement in this time. Staff retention has improved significantly in recent years, reflecting the embracing of the aforementioned CARE values. Looking at the Life Couriers UK workforce in 2025, almost 20% of its employees have been with the company for 6 years or more, with 37% having been employed by LCUK from 1-6 years.
The company has reinforced a commitment to its staff by providing training and opportunities for career development, as well as scheduling thorough welcome briefings with managers for new members of staff. These briefings encourage new personnel to feel welcome in their new role as well as outline their targets and clear metrics for success in the Life Couriers team. Recent additions to the HR department, as well as implementation of feedback from employee survey results has also helped foster an environment in which employees feel respected and heard.
Coupled with this, an updated QMS has ensured that targets are met by the team and incredibly high standards of customer service and patient care are met month to month. Equally important to the company culture has been the continuation of the CARE Awards, recognizing excellence in customer service, exemplary teamwork, and those instances where employees have gone above and beyond in their daily tasks. This has contributed to staff feeling valued, as well as encouraging individuals and teams alike to strive for continuous improvement.
Awards and recognition
Unsurprisingly, this pursuit of excellence has led to recognition from a number of prestigious industry awards. This first began in 2023, when Life Couriers UK was awarded ‘Last Mile Delivery Business of the Year’ at the Logistics Awards, with commendations in the following year as finalists in the same category.
Other award wins and nominations soon followed: winning ‘Best Bespoke Healthcare Logistics Company’ at the UK Transport Awards in 2024, and ‘Best Healthcare Logistics Company’ at the 2024 GHP Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Awards. Most recently, Life Couriers was recognized as a finalist in the ‘Best International Business’ category at the 2025 South Central Business Awards, and are currently finalists in two categories at the Supply Chain Excellence Awards 2025.
The Life Couriers UK team accepting the award for Logistics UK’s Last Mile Delivery Business of the Year 2023.
New opportunities and collaborations
As the longest serving member of the team with over 25 years with the company, Sally Ann Winkworth has seen many changes and examples of growth across Life Couriers UK. What was the first positive change that Sally noticed at Vision Logistics following the acquisition by Life Couriers? “I think the first positive change I noticed was the expansion of our service; becoming integrated into a global network has definitely opened up new possibilities. This expansion wouldn’t have been possible without the collaboration of the global group, coming together to share expertise and experience.”
Sally has worked in a number of roles over the years, from managing a depot to her current role as Head of Marketing Campaigns and Events. This position sees her working with some of the world’s most recognizable brands on their experiential and sample marketing campaigns. So how would Sally sum up her experience of the acquisition? “Growth-focused, supportive and rewarding.”
Clearly the rewards from the acquisition have been multifaceted and are still developing for the business. What has remained constant throughout the story of Vision Logistics becoming Life Couriers UK is the team’s commitment to excellence and their drive towards continuous improvement; markers of every business destined to thrive.
Further reading
To learn more about our growth strategies and our drive to become the global market leader in healthcare logistics, visit our M&A page.
For more information on our services and why we’re a trusted logistics provider for some of the world’s top healthcare providers, visit this page.
Or perhaps you’re interested in joining our award-winning team? Find out more on our Careers page.