Growth accelerates at Birmingham logistics group

A LOGISTICS company has driven up revenues and continues to accelerate its growth as it targets doubling its sales.

Corporate Solutions Logistics has signed off its 2015 accounts, which show a 37% increase in turnover to £16.3m for the 12 months to June.

The family-run business is projecting similar growth for the current financial year, which ends in three months, that would result in turnover of about £22m.

However it said it “will focus on the need to significantly drive up gross profit margins”, after seeing its pre-tax profits reduced by three-quarters to £83,000. 

The company, which is headquartered at Birmingham Business Park, operates 60 trucks and 150 trailers, and employs 150 people. It plans to have more than 100 trucks by the end of this year.

It works with companies including Smurfit Kappa, Vax and Lidl.

It was founded in 1997 – by its four directors Des Ponsonby, Mark Ponsonby, Brian Croghan and John Mangan – but can trace its heritage back to the launch of removal company DJ Posonby which had one vehicle in 1967.

Sales director Mark Ponsonby said: “We place operational teams on our customers’ premises, so they are able to respond to any changing needs quickly and efficiently.  We’ve found this to be very successful in not only growing the size of the contracts, but being able to understand what our customers want and when they want it. The team embeds themselves into our customers’ culture.

“Our staff who work for Lidl for example, talk like retailers, not like logistics people, it’s that blending of different skills and them being with the client every day that makes the difference.”