Lenham Storage Company has taken on a production and quality director and expanded its geographic footprint with the launch of new subsidiary Lenham Storage (Midlands), which is based in Loughborough.

Ian Rose, who was Lenham’s group warehouse manager between December 2012 and May 2014, is returning to the company to take on the newly created role.

He joins Lenham from Aqualisa where he was operations director from May 2014 until April this year.

The news of Rose’s appointment closely follows the publication of the annual results of Lenham Storage Company and those of its sister company Lenham Storage (Southern) for the year to 31 August 2018.

Maidstone-based Lenham Storage Company, which employs 461 staff, specialises in ambient grocery and FMCG storage and distribution.

It has a licence to operate 114 trucks and 235 trailers, whilst Lenham Storage (Southern), based in Andover, has a licence to run 80 trucks and 45 trailers. There is no O licence listed for Lenham (Midlands).

Both Lenham Storage Company and Lenham Storage (Southern) saw profit fall last year with the former hit by the cost of a warehouse enhancement programme and the latter by the loss of two medium-sized clients, according to their respective results.

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Reporting its annual results to 31 August 2018, Lenham Storage Company unveiled a rise in turnover to £36.9m (2017: £34m). However pre-tax profit fell to £1.2m, down from £1.5m in the previous year.

In its strategic report to the results, Lenham Storage Company attributed the profit fall “primarily” to enhancement work on the firm’s existing warehouses.

It also noted that the purchase of its Sittingbourne warehouse in the year was completed during the period. The warehouse has provided the firm with an extra 118,000 sq ft of additional office and warehouse space.

Lenham Storage (Southern), saw turnover decrease by 2.4%, and pre-tax profit fall to £373,454 (2017: £540,830) according to its latest annual results.

The company attributed the fall in both turnover and profit to the loss of two medium-sized clients in the period, although it added that the impact of these losses was partly offset by increasing current rates with existing clients.

Both companies rated Brexit as a key challenge going forward with Lenham Storage Company warning that the impact of Brexit had resulted in the firm struggling to retain not only HGV drivers, but also warehouse and office staff “which places pressure on the business to recruit locally”.

Lenham Storage Company has yet to respond to a request for comment.

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