Sales grow 6% at home delivery firm Hermes UK
Home delivery specialist Hermes UK has achieved good growth in its 2010-11 fiscal year, and is predicting further growth next year. The company revealed today that its sales have increased by 6% in the latest 12 months, to a total of £211.5m
Profits increased from around £10m in the previous year to £17.5m, thanks to “extensive” investment in systems, and operational innovation, widening margins.
In the current financial year, the Leeds-based subsidiary of German-owned Hermes Group said it has already won a number of new clients, and is forecasting a 20% uplift in sales.
Carole Woodhead (pictured right), the Hermes UK chief executive, said: “Throughout these challenging times, Hermes has continued to buck the trend and has invested wisely in the right technology and people to support new services that retailers and their customers want.
“As a result, our new business pipeline remains robust,” Woodhead added.
Hermes UK describes itself as the largest home delivery courier network in the UK, handling more than 115m collections and deliveries each year.
The company operates as a network of more than 7,500 subcontracted couriers.
This year, Hermes UK has been expanding its distribution infrastructure with the opening of a new hub in Warrington and expanded facilities in South Yorkshire and West Sussex.
The development of its services have included introduction of later cut-off times for retailers to access next-day deliveries, launch of a PIN-protected proof-of-delivery option for high-value purchases and launch of a new consumer-to-business returns service for householders to send back unwanted purchases to retailers.
