Huboo has acquired delivery technology company Sorted, bringing fulfilment, delivery and returns together on one platform.

The combined business will serve more than 400 customers across the UK and Europe and process more than 100 million parcels a year.

Bristol-based Huboo is adding Sorted’s delivery management technology to its fulfilment operation. Manchester-based Sorted provides tools for shipping, tracking, returns and delivery analytics.

The combined platform represents about £1 billion in gross merchandise value a year and will operate from sites in Bristol, Manchester, Eindhoven and Madrid.

Independent offering

Sorted will continue to operate as a carrier- and fulfilment-agnostic delivery technology platform. Its products will remain available to third-party logistics providers and large retailers that do not use Huboo’s fulfilment services.

The acquisition expands Huboo’s presence in the North West and strengthens its base across the UK and Europe. The Manchester office will remain a centre for delivery and returns technology.

The deal is backed by existing investors. More than £200 million has been invested in the group since it was founded, including more than £30 million since the start of last year.

The enlarged business will combine fulfilment, shipping and returns data in one system. Huboo expects this to help retailers manage carrier choices, improve handovers between warehouse and delivery networks, and gain better visibility into delivery and returns performance.

Sorted’s customers include Marks & Spencer, Asda and JD Sports, giving Huboo exposure to larger retail accounts as it seeks to expand beyond fast-growing online brands.

The acquisition follows ownership changes at Huboo after a buyout backed by BlackRock, Ada Ventures and Atalla Capital. The parent company of Huboo and Sorted is Brislington Holdco.

Strategic outlook

Jo Kennedy, Managing Director, Huboo, described the transaction as a step towards a more joined-up operating model for online retailers.

“Bringing Sorted into the Huboo Group allows us to connect fulfilment, shipping and returns into a single intelligent platform. Together, we can help eCommerce brands, from fast-growth disruptors to established retailers, operate more efficiently, deliver better customer experiences, and scale with greater confidence,” said Kennedy.

Paul Hill, Product Director, Sorted, said the businesses were well matched.

“Becoming part of the same group as Huboo gives our technology, people and customers a stronger long-term platform. There is a clear fit between Huboo’s fulfilment capability and Sorted’s delivery technology, and we are excited by what the two businesses can build together over time,” said Hill.

The deal also strengthens Atalla Capital’s effort to build a broader logistics and commerce software group around Huboo. Mahmoud Atalla, Executive Chairman, Brislington Holdco, said the acquisition supports that strategy.

“Sorted represents a natural next step in Huboo’s transformation into a leading European eCommerce fulfilment and supply chain platform. By bringing together two highly complementary businesses, we are building a stronger proposition for customers across the spectrum, from emerging brands to large-scale retailers, while continuing to support Sorted’s broad ecosystem of logistics and retail partners.

“This transaction is backed by continued investor support, with more than £200 million invested in the group since inception, including more than £30 million since the start of last year. This will help accelerate Huboo’s growth, with further investment planned as we scale.

“Our ambition is to build the core operating platform and underlying systems for European commerce, targeting growth beyond 100 million parcels annually and around £1 billion in GMV over time,” said Atalla.

Touchload Limited, the company trading as Kings Oxford, was placed into administration by the High Court earlier this month.

Joint administrators Stephen Katz and Mr David Lawrence Birne of BTG Begbies Traynor (London) LLP were appointed on Thursday, April 9.

Public filings show Touchload remains listed as an active private limited company, with its most recent accounts covering the year to December 31, 2024 and its next set of accounts still due by October 1, 2026.

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Kings Oxford. (Image: Kings Oxford)

The administration order allows insolvency practitioners to take control of the business while options are explored, including a potential rescue, sale or managed wind‑down.

Kings Oxford, which operates from its St Joseph’s Campus in Temple Road, Cowley, and a city centre site in St Michael’s Street, offers GCSEs, A‑levels, foundation programmes and English language courses for UK and international day and boarding students.

Its current fee table shows A‑level programmes priced at more than £33,000 per year and GCSE courses in the low‑to‑mid £30,000s.

An Ofsted boarding inspection in May 2023 rated the overall experiences, progress, safeguarding and leadership at Kings Oxford as good.

In a detailed statement, a spokesperson for Kings Oxford linked the college’s financial pressures to the Government’s policy of imposing VAT on private school fees.

READ MORE: Private college with £30k fees in administration after High Court order

Kings Oxford. (Image: Kings Oxford)

The spokesperson said: “Since the Government’s imposition of VAT on private school fees Kings Oxford, along with many private schools in the UK, has experienced a significant drop in student enrolments over the past 18 months.

“The impact among international schools such as ours has been even more severe because parents of international students have multiple English‑speaking options for their children’s education abroad.

“It became clear that the most viable way of ensuring educational continuity for our students would be by being part of a larger, more stable educational group.

“We are therefore delighted that Kings Oxford is now part of the INTO University Partnerships group, a very well‑respected and successful operator within the international education sector.

“This will provide security for students currently studying in Oxford, as well as long‑term stability for Kings Oxford, which we are confident will continue to operate successfully in the city for many more years to come.”

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Kings Oxford. (Image: Kings Oxford)

Kings Oxford sits within Kings Education, which runs UK and US colleges and will now operate as a distinct brand inside the INTO University Partnerships group under a strategic deal announced this month.

INTO, which works with universities in the UK, US, Australia and elsewhere, said the tie‑up would create a “more resilient, more capable, and more globally connected organisation”, with plans to widen the range of programmes and locations open to students and expand Kings’ offer using INTO’s London facilities.

Mr Andrew Hutchinson, chief executive of Kings Education, said joining INTO marked “an exciting new chapter” and would “create new opportunities and outcomes for our students and partners”, while INTO chief executive Mr John Sykes described the agreement as an “important milestone” that would broaden study and progression routes for international students.

Insolvency notices advise anyone seeking further information about the administration of Touchload Limited to contact BTG Begbies Traynor in London.

The Cyber Scheme has launched an Accredited Company Programme for organisations that deliver cyber security services. It is aimed at companies of all sizes in the UK market.

The programme assesses organisations on the professional competence of their workforce and links company accreditation to standards set by the UK Cyber Security Council for Chartered Cyber Security Professionals.

Accredited companies will be recognised for verified skills, continuous professional development and service standards. Participants will also be able to access procurement frameworks that require a professionalised cyber workforce.

The accreditation covers specific disciplines rather than providing a single general approval. Companies listed on a planned Accredited Company Register will be recognised in areas including security testing, operational technology, incident response, secure operations, cyber security management, and governance and risk.

The move expands The Cyber Scheme’s role beyond individual certification into organisational assessment. The group already assesses and recommends people for professional titles from Associate to Chartered level across several specialisms, and says it accounts for more than half of all registered professionals through its work as a Licenced Body for the UK Cyber Security Council.

Zeshan Sattar, Director of The Cyber Scheme, said the new model is intended to link the standing of a cyber security provider to the credentials of the staff delivering the work. “Our accreditation programme is built on the principle that trustworthy services come from proven professional competence,” Sattar said.

“The programme assures a company’s services by confirming its workforce capability aligns with the UK Cyber Security Council’s Chartered Cyber Security Professional standards.”

“Professionalisation doesn’t stop with individuals. Skills, standards and continuous development must be embedded within the organisations delivering these services.”

Procurement access

For cyber security consultancies and specialist providers, one of the most immediate commercial effects may come through procurement. Accredited companies will gain visibility in regulated frameworks and routes into domestic and international work, while also improving their ability to recruit and retain professionally registered staff.

This emphasis on frameworks reflects a wider shift in the sector, as public and regulated buyers increasingly ask suppliers to show evidence of recognised qualifications and independently verified standards. By focusing on workforce competence, the programme seeks to create a company-level marker that buyers can use alongside individual certifications.

Jordan Glover, Director of JAG Secure, said the structure addresses a long-standing issue in the market. “The Cyber Scheme’s Accredited Company Programme is something our industry has genuinely needed. It shifts responsibility beyond the individual, tying a company’s credibility directly to the verified competence of the people working within.”

“What’s great is the specialism-based recognition. Companies are accredited for what they actually deliver, whether that’s security testing, incident response, or governance and risk management, rather than receiving a blanket stamp of approval. For a specialist firm like ours, that distinction matters. This is a commitment to quality, transparency and the long-term professionalisation of cyber security.”

Industry context

The Cyber Scheme describes itself as an accreditation body for technical cyber security organisations and professionals, with certifications aligned to standards used in government-backed schemes including CHECK, Cyber Essentials Plus and Cyber Advisor. It says its Cyber Scheme Team Member qualification has become a baseline requirement for technical assurance roles in parts of government and industry.

The new company programme builds on that position by applying professional standards at organisational level. Rather than relying solely on the credentials of individual consultants, the model seeks to show whether a business has embedded training, development and recognised skills across the team delivering services.

Supporters argue that this distinction matters in specialist fields, where firms may be known for one area of work but not others. A register that identifies accredited disciplines could allow buyers to distinguish between providers on a narrower basis than broad cyber security branding.

Paul Toye, Managing Director of Cyber Guarded, said that could give clients greater confidence in the services they buy.

“The programme fills a critical gap by linking professional competence with organisational credibility, giving UK businesses confidence that the advice and services they receive come from trusted, independently verified professionals operating within their recognised specialisms.”

Sattar said the programme is intended to be more than a symbolic label for participating firms.

“Our Accredited Company Programme isn’t just another badge. It’s a strategic advantage that builds trust and confidence, raises the bar and strengthens resilience across the sector.”