DSV Road MD René Falch Olesen said that the economy in 2012 had affected the firm’s profit in what was a “satisfactory” year for the operator.

Financial results for the year ended 31 December 2012, which were published earlier this month, showed that turnover was down 3.2% to £179.3m (2011: £185.4m), while pre-tax profit fell 41% to £5.6m, compared to £9.7m in the previous year.

Falch Olesen said: “We were very happy with the results under the circumstance that the market has not helped us, but that’s what a lot of companies are experiencing.”

He added that the focus for 2013 would be winning new business and has since launched its Daily Pallet service across Europe, in response to customer demand and an increase in groupage loads.

“Hopefully as the market grows, we can generate new business to make our business and our turnover grow, so that we can sustain what we have,” Falch Olesen told Motortransport.co.uk.

The service, which launches in early May, will cover 32 countries on the Continent from a central hub in Germany. It will include daily pick-up and departure, as well as delivery.