Moscow Freight delivering the goods since 1996
06/11/2025
Approaching 30 years in business, Moscow Freight Ltd is a family-owned transport and logistics provider to Lidl and Irwin’s Bakery in Northern Ireland.
Established in Newry in 1996 by local man Sean Maguire, Moscow Freight operates from Portadown which is centrally located and is often referred to as “the hub of the North”. From humble beginnings, the company has grown to run around 20 trucks, between 25 and 30 trailers, and employ 20 people, which includes some of the best and most reliable drivers in the business.
Contrary to what it might suggest, the name has nothing to do with Moscow other than a racehorse called Moscow Society which Sean once owned a produce of and sold to help get his business off the ground.
“I bought the horse in 1992 and sold him four years later. He never won a race, but I still made a nice profit which I bought my first lorries from,” he smiles.
“I started out with three trucks – a Scania 113, a Volvo F10 and a Volvo F12. We’ve come a long way since then and continue to go from strength to strength by offering an unrivalled service.”
With every load being precious, Sean is constantly upgrading his vehicles and recently took delivery of no fewer than six Scania 450s from A&M Commercials in Warrington. The new arrivals are 2019-registered and bring the total number of Scanias in the fleet to nine with 13 DAF 85s and 105s making up the rest.
The trailers, meanwhile, are a mix of Schmitz, Gray & Adams and Montracon refrigerated units and box vans. All vehicles are regularly maintained and inspected both in-house and by Corr Brothers Ltd in Armagh to ensure there is no such thing as downtime. The haulage firm takes great pride in the appearance of its trucks. With their striking livery, they are a real head-turner.
“How your vehicles look says everything about your company. If they are clean and well presented, it gives a good impression,” says Sean, who is a mechanic by trade.
“Our original colour was white, but we’re gradually moving away from that. The newer trucks are decked out in red, dark grey and white.”
Behind the wheel of every Moscow Freight truck is a reliable, experienced and courteous driver.
“Our people are our greatest asset. We’re lucky to have an amazing team of drivers, some of whom have been with us for 12-15 years. That experience counts for a lot. Our drivers include my sons Stephen and Ronan. Stephen is a qualified electrician who drives for me full-time. Ronan works as a mechanic with Kearns & Murtagh in Newry, but helps out with the driving when he can.”
Moscow Freight provided a variety of transport services over the years before specialising in food transport for Lidl and Irwin’s Bakery. It delivers goods to Lidl stores across Northern Ireland from the retail giant’s regional distribution centre in Nutts Corner as well as bread province-wide for Irwin’s Bakery, with whom it shares the same yard in Portadown.
“Lidl and Irwin’s are our two most valued clients who we enjoy an excellent working relationship with. We have been with Irwin’s since we started and Lidl for the last 11 years. We started off delivering two or three pallets for Lidl and it snowballed from there. We also occasionally do deliveries in the South for them from their Mullingar and Newbridge distribution centres.
“We mostly use the DAF 85s for the Irwin’s bread deliveries. As 4x2s, they're well able to get in and out of tight spaces. I did container and curtainside work before finding my niche in food transport. It’s all go, 24/7. That's the nature of the business which we have down to a fine art at this stage,” the affable managing director explains.
The first Lidl Ireland stores opened in 2000 and over two decades later, has almost 180 stores, three regional distribution centres and employs more than 8,000 staff. Lidl takes great pride in providing its customers with the highest quality products at the lowest prices, and works with a network of more than 260 Irish suppliers from the communities it operates in to keep its shelves stocked with nutritious, fresh produce.
Irwin’s Bakery celebrated 100 years baking in Portadown in 2012, having started in Woodhouse Street as a grocery and bakery. The company moved to a new purpose-built premises in Carn in 1995 and employs over 450 people. Irwin’s manufactures a full portfolio of breads encompassing four brands: Irwin’s, Irwin’s Joeys, Rankin Selection and Howell’s.
For almost 30 years, Moscow Freight has prided itself on its dependable, trustworthy, value-for-money and personable service. Sean would like to take this opportunity to thank his clients and suppliers for their continued support as well as his hard-working team for their dedication and expertise.
“We want to keep giving our customers the best possible service. It’s all down to service,” he concludes.
Moscow Freight Ltd
34 Cottage Road,
Clontigora,
Newry,
Co. Armagh,
BT35 8RS.
Telephone: 077 682 52840
Email: [email protected]
First published in Irish Trucker magazine September/October 2025, Vol 28-5
