FAQs

FFS is a contract logistics and third-party logistics (3PL) company in Nairobi, Kenya. We provide warehousing and distribution services – bonded and duty-paid storage, WMS-driven inventory management, value-added services, and nationwide transport and last-mile distribution – from a 14,000 sqm Grade-A distribution centre in Tatu City. FFS is the contract logistics unit of the Freight Forwarders Group, which has operated in East Africa since 1932.

Contract logistics means outsourcing your warehousing, inventory management and distribution to a specialist under a service contract, instead of running your own warehouse and fleet. Yes – FFS is a contract logistics provider (also called a 3PL): we run the facility, systems, staff and transport, and you pay for the storage, handling and deliveries you use, with agreed service levels and reporting.

Yes. Most FFS clients use us for warehousing and distribution together: goods arrive from the port or factory, are stored and managed in our WMS, and are picked, packed and delivered nationwide by our transport team – one contract, one point of contact, one set of reports. Warehousing-only or transport-only arrangements are also available.

Yes. FFS provides commercial storage services in Nairobi for businesses – pallet storage, bulk storage, bonded storage and SEZ duty-free storage – in a secure, racked Grade-A warehouse at Tatu City, with inventory management included. We do not offer household self-storage units.

Our distribution centre is at ALP 3, Ngenda Road, Tatu City, Kiambu County – on the northern outskirts of Nairobi, about 5 km from the Thika Superhighway, with direct access to the Nairobi orbital road network and upcountry routes. Tatu City is a gazetted Special Economic Zone.

Consumer goods and FMCG, retail and fashion, industrial, chemical and agricultural products, technology and electronics, life sciences and healthcare, courier and e-commerce, and humanitarian and relief cargo. Our facility is multi-user, so clients of different sizes share the same systems and standards.

Yes. FFS is part of the Freight Forwarders Group, a family-owned logistics business that started at the Port of Mombasa in 1932. The Group includes Freight Forwarders Kenya (clearing, forwarding and project logistics), Transeast (road freight) and Biashara Merchant Company (trading and distribution), and is DSV’s agent in East Africa.

FFS is ISO 9001:2015 certified. The Tatu City facility was the first warehouse in Africa to receive EDGE green-building certification and operates to Good Distribution Practice (GDP) standards for healthcare products. We are a KRA-licensed customs bonded warehouse and hold a Special Economic Zone enterprise licence.

Call +254 709 383 000, email quotes-ffs@ffkgrp.com, or use the Request a Quote form on this website. Tell us what you need to store, move or manage and we will respond with a tailored proposal, normally within one business day.

Yes. FFS operates a KRA-licensed customs bonded warehouse at Tatu City alongside duty-paid storage, all under one roof. We handle bond acceptance (CB6), customs examination, re-warehousing, bond extension and cancellation, and KEBS/KRA stickering, so goods can be stored before duty is paid and released as you need them.

A 14,000 sqm Grade-A distribution centre with 14 m clear height, raised floors, 13 dock doors with electric levellers, ramp access, pallet racking six levels high (about 14,400 pallet positions) and bulk floor space, plus 14,000 sqm of yard. It has smart CCTV, smoke detection and full sprinkler cover, and is EDGE certified for energy and water efficiency.

FFS provides warehousing as a managed service rather than empty space: you pay for the pallet positions, handling and services you use, and our team and WMS run the operation. This suits businesses that want storage without hiring staff, buying racking or licensing systems. Dedicated areas within the facility can be arranged for larger volumes.

KRA and KEBS stickering, product labelling and barcoding, kitting and co-packing, repacking, palletisation, consolidation and deconsolidation, quality checks, cross-docking and returns processing. Promotions and bundle packs are handled through the VAS module of our WMS.

Yes. We manage reverse logistics – collecting returns, crates and pallets from trade and processing them for re-use, redistribution or disposal – and our WMS tracks every batch and lot, so a recall can be executed by batch quickly and with a full audit trail.

There is no fixed minimum; the service is best suited to businesses with regular inbound and outbound flows. Contracts are flexible – from short-term overflow storage to multi-year contract logistics arrangements – and pricing is tailored to your volumes and service mix.

Our facility operates to GDP standards for healthcare products and offers controlled ambient storage. Tell us the product profile and we will confirm the right storage and transport arrangement.

Because FFS holds a Special Economic Zone enterprise licence at Tatu City, imported goods can be brought into our facility duty-free, stored for an unlimited period, and released partially or in full. Import duty and taxes become payable only when goods leave the SEZ for the Kenyan market.

A standard customs bond in Kenya limits storage time (historically six months) and restricts some goods, and duty must be settled when the bond period ends. SEZ storage has no time limit, covers all HS codes, and duty is deferred until the goods actually exit – which frees working capital and lets you hold regional stock in Nairobi.

Yes. Goods stored duty-free at Tatu City can be shipped onward to Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, DRC and beyond through the Freight Forwarders Group network without Kenyan duty being paid, or released into Kenya as demand requires. This shortens lead times and reduces the stock each market has to carry.

Consumer goods and technology brands supplying several East African markets, automotive and spare-parts distributors, pharmaceutical and healthcare suppliers, mining and energy projects, and relief and aid organisations pre-positioning stock. If cash tied up in duty on slow-moving or regional inventory is a problem, SEZ storage is usually the answer.

FFS runs Infor WMS, integrated with our ERP. It manages multiple units of measure per SKU, location control, FIFO/LIFO/FEFO strategies, shelf-life and batch/lot traceability, RF-guided stock counts and a full set of stock reports and reconciliations.

Yes. Through EDI we exchange item masters, purchase orders, receipts, sales orders, shipment confirmations and inventory transactions with client ERPs in real time. We have live integrations with SAP and other major ERPs and have managed 100,000+ SKUs through an integrated set-up.

Above 99% inventory accuracy across our warehouse clients, with cycle counting and RF-guided stock takes. Our systems integration success rate with client ERPs is 99.9%.

Yes. Clients get real-time visibility of stock levels, movements and order status – either through their own ERP via EDI, or through WMS reports and portals we provide. Proof of delivery is confirmed back into the system for every order.

Yes. FFS is a transport and distribution company as well as a warehouse operator: we plan and manage distribution to destinations across Kenya – from Nairobi and Mombasa to upcountry towns – using a managed fleet of more than 100 vehicles ranging from 1-tonne trucks and motorbikes to 40-ft trailers. Regional deliveries are handled through the Freight Forwarders Group.

Last-mile distribution is the final delivery from a warehouse to shops, distributors, sites or homes. FFS offers it as full truckloads, part loads, milk runs and courier pick-up and delivery, with route and load optimisation, real-time tracking and proof-of-delivery confirmation returned to the client.

Every vehicle carries in-vehicle monitoring (GPS with geofencing) and our transport system plans routes, tracks goods in transit and captures POD. Our on-time-in-full performance is 99.5% and POD confirmation 99.9%.

Both. We operate roughly 60% own fleet and 40% vetted subcontractors, all centrally managed to the same standards, which gives clients capacity for peaks without paying for idle vehicles.

Yes. FFS manages primary transport including SGR rail shipments from Mombasa and clearing and shunting from the Inland Container Depot in Nairobi, so cargo moves from port to our distribution centre under one plan.

Yes. Through the Freight Forwarders Group we provide sea and air freight, customs clearance, primary transport, warehousing, inventory management and distribution as one end-to-end service, with a single point of contact.

An importer of record (IOR) is the legally responsible party for an import – customs entry, duties, compliance. If you do not have a Kenyan entity and retain ownership, BMC (our group trading company) can act as the Importer of Record.

You do not necessarily need your own Kenyan company to reach Kenyan customers. Through FFS and our group trading company, BMC, we can help arrange imports, warehousing and, for suitable products, local buying and selling.

Yes. FFS can run warehouse and materials-handling operations at a client’s own factory or site, staffed by FFS and managed on our systems, so the client gets 3PL discipline without moving stock off-site.

Pricing is tailored to the service mix: storage is typically priced per pallet position or square metre per month, handling per pallet or case in and out, value-added services per unit, and transport per trip or per drop. We provide a clear rate card after a short scoping conversation.

Simple storage can start within days. A full set-up with WMS configuration, ERP integration and distribution routes typically takes 2 to 6 weeks depending on integration complexity.

Through our parent company, FFK, our warehousing business, FFS, and our trading company, BMC – Biashara Merchant Company, we offer an end-to-end solution for selling in Kenya. Working with our partner DSV, we can coordinate export arrangements at origin, international freight, Kenyan import clearance, warehousing, and delivery to your customers – all under one group umbrella. Import, store, and sell your products in Kenya with an arrangement that fits your business.

Bonded warehouse: Eligible goods can be held under Customs control, with applicable import duties and taxes deferred until clearance for the Kenyan market. When goods are released, the agreed importer arranges payment. Customs conditions apply.
Duty-paid warehouse: Goods enter our duty-paid warehouse after Customs clearance and payment of applicable import duties and taxes.

To help us quote accurately, tell us the type of goods and approximate volume, whether they are bonded or duty-paid, storage duration and how often stock moves in and out. Please also mention any value-added services, such as labelling, KEBS/KRA stickering or kitting, and delivery destinations if you need transport.
Call +254 709 383 000, email quotes-ffs@ffkgrp.com, or use the Request a Quote form on this website.