Dave Holland Archives

EV Cargo company Palletforce has continued to drive growth across its membership with its sales team recently announcing it has delivered nearly £5 million of new business revenue for members, across 200 trading accounts over the last 12 months.

At a recent sales conference attended by 100 member representatives, Palletforce confirmed over 100,000 new business pallets had been secured across mainly SME trading accounts. The new business adds significant value for Palletforce members and has been developed and delivered by the network’s field-based business development managers.

Business development managers, employed by Palletforce as part of its member support programme, explore and secure new commercial and revenue opportunities on behalf of members and are an integral part of Palletforce’s ongoing strategy to enable growth for the network’s membership.

In addition to investing across infrastructure, IT and people, Palletforce also provides its members with a global range of high-quality distribution services in partnership with sister EV Cargo companies.

Delegates at the sales conference heard how Palletforce had achieved its highest European growth in the last three years and had secured a high degree of account retention by developing long-term customer relationships.

It was also reported that Palletforce’s double-digit volume growth continued to outperform competitors and was driven by sector-leading technology, quality and service – delivering long-term growth and stability for members. Palletforce recorded record weekly volumes during October, handling 100,000 pallets in a week for the first time.

Member growth was also acknowledged with RG Bassett, Chambers & Cook, Handtrans and Downton Thatcham topping the quarterly sales competition rankings over the last 12 months.

Dave Holland, Palletforce sales and marketing director said: “The strategy of our ongoing investments across the network is to drive growth by developing commercial and long-term revenue opportunities for our members. The Palletforce sales team continues to generate multi-million pound revenues for our members annually and, underpinned by recent class-leading IT including ePOD2 and Alliance Sense, Palletforce delivers long-term stability and marketing-leading growth for member companies.”

World champ Billy battles back from injury

Trailbike star Billy Bolt has his sights set on world championship glory – despite a horrific injury which threatened to end his season.

The 22-year-old Tynesider, who is a Palletforce sporting brand ambassador, enjoyed a superb 2018, being crowned champion of the World Enduro Super Series after eight gruelling rounds against some of the best riders in the world.

But a crash on the eve of this year’s indoor championships left him with a badly broken left leg and facing the prospect of a season off the bike while he recovered.

Remarkably, Billy was back in the saddle after just five months – and despite only three weeks’ preparation, he was on the start line for the first round of this year’s World Championship in Portugal where he finished fifth.

A succession of top-10 finishes in the next four rounds – including fourth place in Spain – have left Billy in fifth place in the overall rankings with three rounds to go, and he is confident that a top-three podium place is within his reach.

“The injury was a blow because after my success last season I was really looking forward to defending my title,” he says. “That said, I’m still competitive and I’ve managed to get myself into a good position and if all goes well I’ll be looking at a podium and maybe even more by the end of the championship.”

Billy’s return to top-level biking with the Rockstar Husqvarna factory team is even more extraordinary considering he still has no movement in his left foot following the crash.

“It’s a result of nerve damage, and it’s meant I’ve had to adapt my riding style. Hopefully it will recover, but these things are always difficult to predict. It hasn’t affected my confidence, though, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”

Palletforce has sponsored Billy since his early days as a budding trials rider and has been right behind him during his meteoric rise to the top of the sport.

Sales and marketing director Dave Holland says: “After the brilliant season he had in 2018, Billy has shown amazing fortitude to battle back from his injury and put himself in contention for the 2019 World Championship. He continues to be a superb brand ambassador for Palletforce on the world stage and we wish him continued success this season and beyond.”

The next round of the World Championship is at Hawkstone Park, Shropshire, in September and a good result could propel Billy into the top three overall.

Palletforce sponsors Scotland’s Food & Drink “Oscars”

Global freight distribution network Palletforce was once again the driving force behind the annual Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards.

Palletforce sponsored the prestigious Scottish Sourcing (Multiple) award at this year’s event, which took place on May 23 at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange.

Known as the food and drink “Oscars”, the Awards recognise businesses and individuals who are leading the way with innovation, enterprise and quality in Scotland’s thriving food and drink industry.

The Scottish Sourcing (Multiple) award is open to all large-scale retail, wholesale or food service businesses who place Scottish sourcing at the heart of their consumer experience and proudly promote Scottish provenance.

It was the first year that Palletforce has sponsored the award, having sponsored the Brand Success category for the last four years.

This year’s winners were supermarket giant Aldi, who are also celebrating 25 years since they opened their first store in Scotland and 10 years since they created a dedicated Scottish Buying Department.

Palletforce sales and marketing director Dave Holland said: “Scotland’s thriving food and drink industry plays a major part in the country’s economy, and Palletforce is proud to play its part in this ongoing success story.

“The Scottish Sourcing Award has particular resonance with us, since Palletforce has recently joined forces with five leading UK logistics companies to work under the new EV Cargo brand. EV Cargo specialises in providing essential supply chain services for all the major food and drink manufacturers, ensuring seamless “field-to-plate” delivery.”

Organised by Scotland Food & Drink, in partnership with the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, the awards recognise excellence across 18 categories.

“The Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards allow us to shine a light on the skill, dedication and innovation of Scotland’s very best food and drink producers,” said James Withers, chief executive of Scotland Food & Drink.

“The Awards provide an invaluable platform to highlight to the nation and beyond the strength of our industry and the wealth of talent across all sectors.”

Palletforce Delivers £5 Million Of New Business To Members

World champ Billy battles back from injury

Palletforce sponsors Scotland’s Food & Drink “Oscars”