Our History
Our History
1920’s Fleets Flyers is Founded
1921 Fleets Flyers Messenger Service is Founded
Fleets Flyers began in 1921 when Francis Edward Flight employed messengers on foot and on bicycle in the Sydney city and eastern suburbs area.
Here is an extract from a letter received from the sister of Edward Francis Flight, founder of Fleets Flyers:
“During 1921, when our family consisting of parents and eight children – Mr. Edward Francis Flight (Ted) – Ted being of 23 years of age… sprang on us the idea he had of starting a messenger service. He spoke to me about calling the business either “Flights Flyers” or “Fleets Flyers” and the business was registered in this name.
He rented a small room in the Imperial Arcade, where he employed messenger boys on foot, and also had a few bicycles.
Then war broke out, manpower called up his messengers for training…”
1960’s The Taylor Group acquires Fleets Flyers
In 1961 the Taylor Group led by Hugh (Doc) Taylor, purchased Fleet Flyers, a small Sydney based courier company.
The Taylor Group was a diversified business with interests in hotels (Charmhaven, Lacks, Toongabbie, Five Dock), motels (Marlborough Cooma), Fleets Travel, Fleets Tennis and Ski (King Street, Gordon, Jindabyne, Berridale, Smiggins, Thredbo), property (Ashfield, Jindabyne, Berridale, Thredbo), and Fred Williams Water Skis and Wet Suits.
Throughout the 80’s The Taylor Group divested their broad hospitality and retail interests to focus entirely on transport. Fleets Flyers Pty Limited (trading as ANC) is still owned by the Taylor Group today.
1980’s Acquisition and Consolidation as Australian National Couriers
Throughout the 80’s, Fleets Flyers started working with like-minded, independent, state-based businesses in QLD, VIC, NSW, SA and WA.
Five state-based companies with strong local history and experience formally join under the federated model operating as “Australian National Couriers”.
With a focus on couriers, parcels, pallets and dedicated runs, the broader national service offering saw the collective Australian National Couriers brand start to win significant national clients and continue to expand.
The brand logo for Australian National Couriers (right) was created in 1998 to compete in the national light transport market and successfully secured a number of national contracts, first and foremost Telstra.
During this time Fleets Flyers in NSW acquired a series of culturally aligned courier companies including Safe Hand Couriers, Red Tag Couriers, Post Haste Couriers and Holland Express in NSW, significantly expanding the fleet size and Sydney metropolitan coverage.
To support the vision of a national light transport provider, Fleets Flyers in NSW continued to expand, acquiring Reliable Couriers in Brisbane Queensland and Fleet Street Express Adelaide South Australia.
2000’s ANC expansion and growth
During the early 2000’s, the courier and transport industry went through a significant recalibration as the internet disrupted the delivery of documents and paper based goods.
With a diminishing market for traditional courier work and the movement of artwork and legal or banking documents, Fleets Flyers looked to secure their long term future by strategically focussing on the delivery of big and bulky goods.
As Australian National Couriers gained scale and reputation, they became known as ANC, and ultimately rebranded to ANC, and introduced the tagline ‘Your integrated distribution partner’. Based on a partnership with Overseas Courier Services (OCS) ANC were offering delivery services at a local, national and international level.
Between 2010-2020, Fleets Flyers went through a another consolidation phase, progressively acquiring 100% of the other state based businesses.
This achieved clarity in the vision and allowed Fleets Flyers, known as ANC, to develop our delivery expertise and significantly expand all operational capabilities.
Further expansion saw the Taylor Group’s Fleet Flyers in NSW purchase 100% of ANC Pty Limited from the Leggett Group which established our operations in Victoria and Western Australia.
As the reputation for ANC grew and the national offering of local metropolitan delivery expertise expanded, brands including Bunnings Warehouse and IKEA engaged ANC as their transport partner.
2020’s ANC becomes Australia’s last mile delivery leader
ANC’s ongoing growth and future focus is on the complete customer experience in last mile delivery services including value added complex delivery services such as assembly, installation, removal of rubbish and customer training of their new white goods and electronics.
In 2021 ANC celebrates 100 years of delivering.
ANC today is a privately owned Australian company with a team of 1,000+ delivery professionals including contractors and employees across Australia and Clark with a fleet of 800+ commercial vehicles including utes, vans, Pantechs, tautliners, crane trucks, flat tops and semi’s, making 12,000 deliveries a day, 7-days a week.
ANC proudly works in partnership with some of the biggest and most renowned companies including Bunnings Warehouse, IKEA, Pet Circle, Blackwoods,Telstra, Fuji Xerox, JB Hi-Fi, Miele, The Good Guys, Williams Sonoma, Laminex and Bunzl.
ANC’s commitment to last mile delivery excellence is demonstrated in our world-class NPS results of 63 in 2021 and our integrated delivery and assembly.
The importance and value ANC place on the overall customer experience continues to grow and this is reflected in our strategy to expand our services, safety focus, technology and team to meet the growing expectations of clients and customers across Australia.