CS Ellis (Group) is adapting to a "changing marketplace" this year with the launch of an e-commerce fulfilment division, Motortransport.co.uk can reveal.
The new business has been created to cope with rising demand for added-value warehousing services connected with e-commerce, such as pick and pack, reworking of goods, resale of out-of-season goods and capability to offer storage and delivery services to smaller, marketplace sellers. It will be headed up by existing CS Ellis director Jonathan Munton.
Road distribution will continue to be carried out by the core 81-years old haulage firm, CS Ellis (Group), which is now headed up by new MD Mark Tapper who was previously operations director at DX Freight. He has also worked as operations director at City Link and as network director at Target Express.
CS Ellis (Group) put in a solid performance in its latest results filed at Companies House for the year ended 30 June 2013. Turnover remained static at just under £14m, with pre-tax profit up 1.6% from the previous year to £737,169, a pre-tax profit margin of 5.28%.
Group CEO Charles Ellis told Motortransport.co.uk: ‘We are pleased our financial performance year-on-year held up in what were still very challenging times. This has been achieved through a combination of dedication from our staff, maintaining high service levels to retain customers in the most competitive of markets, but also our flexibility as a family business to react to new opportunities.
These include our growing groupage service to Europe and also through our warehousing arm starting to concentrate on the growing requirement for fulfilment, particularly related to e-commerce."
He added that during the recession, the company decided that diversification was vital, with the new warehousing division a key component, as well as another spin-off division for the business, Versatile Venues – a partnership with trailer builder Vipex to kit out and provide hire of specialist exhibition trailers - launched early last year.
"I see my role as CEO across the new group to ensure we continue with the family values and high service levels that have seen us through the last 80 years," Ellis said.
