Haulage firm catapulted by North East base

Scottish haulage firm Grampian Continental have boosted annual sales by 50% thanks to the opening of a North East base.

The firm says investment in a site at Bedlington and additional offices in Great Yarmouth, Holland and Italy has helped to accelerate business.

Sales director Gavin Murray said: “Expanding our operations into the North East was a strategic step and is already paying off, with around £500k worth of business on the books, putting us ahead of our business plan for the site.

“We were confident that there was a gap in the market for a specialist oil and gas transporter in this region, but we also set ourselves some realistic targets to match our ethos of sustainable growth.

“Having a dedicated presence here allows us to react quickly and deliver enhanced customer service, and the figures show this has been a big factor in developing our customer base.

“The Bedlington site has played a key part in achieving our group performance and we could not be more pleased about the welcome that the business community has given us.”

The firm is backing the A1 dualling campaign and has also benefited from the trend for closer partnerships between Aberdeen and North East companies, with several big players in the oil and gas sector joining it in setting up operations south of the border.

Grampian was set up in 2009 by Gavin Murray, Neil Bremner and Michael Lacey and now manages exports and imports across the UK, Europe and North Africa for more than 500 customers in the oil and gas sector.