There are nations living in fixed places, like most people do. There are also nomadic people, such as the aboriginals and pygmies, who to this day are permanently on the move. The Mongols, for instance, move along with their cattle as seasons change, whereas others follow their prey, such as the Indians.
Since the start of time people have been moving, indeed entire nations have moved. The periods of extensive migration of nations are historic, but many more less significant migrations have taken place also. Between 350 and 550, Europe was the scene of nations migrating one after another. After the arrival of the Huns and the collapse of the Roman Empire, Germanic tribes start migrating through Europe
People loaded all their belongings onto wagons pulled by horses, donkeys or dogs or used carts pushed by people to move hundreds of kilometres and start a new life elsewhere.
People more or less continued to move that way up to the 18th century. As from the 18th century, the first frequent transports of mainly agricultural products, passengers and post were organised.
Companies established through this type of transport and still moving today are:

Pickford, United Kingdom, since 1695
Van Egeraat, the Netherlands, since 1783
Völk, Germany, since 1808
Rembold, Germany, since 1825
Addis Moves, United Kingdom, since 1830
Bishop’s, United Kingdom, since 1850
Rettenmayer, Germany, since 1850

By far the oldest and still active removal company in Europe is The Shore Porters Society in Aberdeen, which was established in 1498. The Shore Porters even rank among the oldest and longest trading companies in the world.

During the industrial revolution many people moved from the rural areas to the cities. The removals were undertaken by wagon and horse, which would remain the main means of moving until the start of the 21st century. It was not until the twenties of the last century that trucks were used for removals for the first time.
As the urban population grew, so did the number of removal companies.

Wooden crates filled with wood shavings served as the main removal equipment. Particularly the crates used for the transport of eggs remained popular long after the Second World War was over. It was not until the sixties that people in Europe started to use cardboard boxes.

As from the sixties onward the removal companies started to specialise. Some of the specialisations include:

• Business removals
• Private removals
• Storage of household effects
• Overseas packaging
• Furniture and kitchen distribution
• ICT removals
• Relocation of individuals and businesses
• Transport, handling and storage of art
• Document handling and storage
• Handymen service
• Facility management
• Removal management

As society becomes more complex, the removal companies also offer an increasing variety of services.

The removal sector is well-organised. The Dutch trade association is called Savam which monitors the level of quality of the 400 affiliated Recognised Removal Companies.
In addition, many removal companies are affiliated to an international cooperation such as Fidi, Nevim of Omni, in order to ensure the smooth running of international removals.

Finally, there are also cooperative ventures between the removal companies. Thanks to this cooperative venture these companies are able to better handle large assignments, to bundle their forces in the field of purchasing and to share specific corporate expertise. These organisations are Euromovers, Mondial Movers, Official Movers, NedVan Moving Network, TopMovers and UTS plus a group specialised in project removals, the Professional Project Removal Company (PPV). All these organisations further offer European and Global networks.