Mail firm secures £10m contract with leading university

A BIRMINGHAM direct mail company is preparing for expansion after securing a £10m contract with a world-famous university.

Kings Norton-based Central Mailing Services has been appointed by Oxford University hand all its direct mail requirements as well as the worldwide shipping of its journals.

The contract award, won in a competitor tender against a much larger organisation, builds on a longstanding relationship with the university.

However, the new contract will ramp up the relationship to a whole new level.

The company, which employs 60 people, has already taken on four new members of staff and more may follow as the contract, which runs for the next three years, rolls out.

Although not officially due to start until January, the company has already begun some of the arrangements.

Richard Morrow, sales and marketing director, said: “The contract was ratified last week and we’ve already begun receiving material – we’ve got 450 pallets of journals being dispatched to us ready for us store.

“As you can imagine, an institution of the scale of Oxford University generates a lot of published material so we expect to be very busy.”

He said all the material was dispatched on a pick and pack basis as this was the most efficient operation.

Earlier this year, the company, which had a turnover of £6.4m last year, invested £150,000 in the purchase of new equipment to improve its operations. It is now targeting turnover of £7m for the current financial year.

The company works with other clients including the NHS and several Goverment departments including those at Defence and Education.

It also works with Grant Thornton, dispatching much of the printed material issued by the firm in connection with its insolvency work.

CMS also has delivery agreements in place with the likes of Royal Mail and DHL.