Allport Ltd Company Profile December 2002
Allport Ltd Company Profile
Read MoreTag: UK
PalletForce into Europe
Palletised distribution network PalletForce which has just completed its first year of trading, has revealed plans to launch a European service.
“We have a member, Gillimot, based in Kampenhault, Belgium, and Ripon-based Nidd transport covering Spain and Portugal,” says chief executive Mick Scarlett. “We will develop these from januay.”
Palletforce, which started trading in October 31, 2001, announced a turnover in excess of £8m in its first full year and says it has handled more than half a million pallets. It now has 56 shareholder members owning 82% of its shares.
Three directors own remaining 18%.
The firm says it has recruited members from all over the leading independent networks and has a limited number of open points, including north-west London, Tunbridge Wells and Cambridgeshire.
FT Editorial on Leighton vs Postcomm
ROYAL MAIL PACKAGE LOST IN THE POST: POSTCOMM MUST FOCUS ON CREATING A COMPETITIVE MARKET
Allan Leighton’s appointment as chairman of Royal Mail Group was an act of genius. The former Asda boss has driven through cost cuts to lift this once highly profitable monopoly out of the red. He has begun to put it on a firmer footing to face competition as the market is opened up over the next three years. And he is ambitious enough to plan returning the post office network to profit by turning it into “the EasyJet of banking”. All this while the foremost advocate of “going plural” continues to hold a fistful of other top jobs.
There is a downside in all this, however. Running Royal Mail during these most testing of times would be no easy matter full-time. Less than full-time, quick judgments must be made – and there is a premium on short, sharp campaigns against threats to the business plan. In most cases it is Postcomm, the regulator, that is the scapegoat – most recently over its proposals for price controls.
Read MorePrice of stamp could rise 17%
Royal Mail, the troubled postal services group, yesterday gave warning that the price of stamps could rise by up to 17 per cent if a campaign to end its VAT-exempt status on business services is successful.
Charging VAT on Royal Mail’s business services would be another blow to Allan Leighton, chairman of Royal Mail, who is struggling to reduce the organisation’s huge losses.
A spokesman said: “The last thing we want is to put up our [business service] prices by 17 per cent. That would affect everything from business services to the price of stamps because we can’t differentiate between many services we handle.”
Read MorePallEx has furious split with veteran member
A furious row has broken out between pallet network Pall-Ex and one of its longest-serving members, Rymer Transport.
The Croydon-based firm is incensed that it was kicked out of the network at very short notice; and it claims that the hub held onto its freight for almost 24 hours.
Rymer boss Darren Jenkins says that although his firm had tendered its resignation to the network, it was working through its notice period. The first sign of problems with its membership came when its trunker arrived at the Pall-Ex hub on Tuesday night (19 November). After it was unloaded the Rymer driver was told that his firm’s contract had been terminated and he was asked to leave.
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