13ritish haulier • goes Continental
Page 4
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
A DERBY haulage company has set up a subsidiary company in France and is transfering all expansion plans to the Continent as things get tougher for British hauliers.
F. B. Atkins and Sons Ltd has set up Atkins International Ltd at Cherbourg and says that it has got off the ground well— but despite the new depot it also says there is no threat to the jobs of its 150 British workers.
The company said in a statement that a planned expansion programme would now be carried out in France. "Over there the authorities welcome enterprise and work-rate — they want to see us make a profit," it said.
This week Atkins director Mr Arthur Atkins told CM that the company will consider transferring all its activities to Cherbourg if docks and nationalisation plans go through.
Atkins has been hampered with planned development in Britain through planning problems and has been dogged by union troubles.
Now the firm's expansion plans for the 68 heavy tractive units and 140 semi-trailers will go to France. It is planning to buy another 100 tractive units and more than 200 semitrailers.
Company chairman Mr Bernard Atkins says: "We are now in a position to switch to the Continent should anything go badly wrong in England. There are no nationalisation threats to face over there, that's vital," he said.
The company operates throughout the UK at the moment on export traffic which is shipped out via its Tilbury Docks depot or the newly established depot at Felixstowe.