Bridgend, South Wales-based John Raymond Transport saw an increase in both turnover and pre-tax profit last year.

Its annual accounts for the year ended 30 September 2013, published to Companies House, showed a 35% increase in pre-tax profit to £56,000, up from £41,752 in 2012.

Turnover at the company, which is part of the Harlequin Logistics consortium (pictured), increased slightly from £19.8m to £20.2m in the same period, despite what the directors described as a “challenging” economic climate.

“However the directors feel that the company continues to be well placed to embrace the challenges that lie ahead and to maximise opportunities with existing and new customers as and when they occur,” they said in their strategic report.

Gross profit margin, which the directors said they consider a key measure of the effectiveness of its operations, dropped from 7.2% to 6.5%.

The results also revealed that the company’s founders, John and Dilys Raymond, resigned during the financial year.

No one at the company was available to comment further.