Harlequin members

Haulage consortium Harlequin Logistics has signed five new contracts so far this year, and expects to close 2013 with turnover in excess of £10m.

The consortium was launched in 2011 and comprises of Currie European Transport, Jack Richards & Son; John Raymond Transport, R Swain and Sons and Prestons of Potto – all of whom hold a 12% holding in the business. Harlequin MD Paul Smith holds the remaining 40%.

Customers signed with Harlequin now include Kimberly Clark, Unilever and Tate & Lyle in addition to Kellogg’s and what Smith describes as “a well-known chocolate manufacturer”.

It has also has doubled the size of a contract awarded during 2011, and extended its term until 2016.

Smith said he expected Harlequin to exit 2013 with turnover in excess of £10m, and his target is to double that figure through organic growth by April 2015.

“It has been a really encouraging year, and I wholeheartedly concur with the view that the worst of the recession is now behind us,” he told Motortransport.co.uk. “Our brand is now well known across the UK logistics market, and the contracts we have won show our business model to be both operationally robust and commercially attractive.

“Our shareholders run over 1,000 general haulage vehicles, and our consequential ability to move substantial volume on owned assets is proving a winning proposition,” he added.

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