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Clarks Direct, based in Stratton Strawless, near Norwich, suffered an
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earlier blow than most last August, when it lost a £1 m annual contract carrying books for Woolworth's book distribution division.
Clarks' managing director Paul Clark says the loss of this contract before many even realised the recession was upon us prompted him to "get out early to pick up what new work This included a major new batch of work with Dutch furniture producer Hillhout, which has moved its UK office onto the 20-acre farm from which Clark runs the Clarks Direct operation. This is one reason why Clarks is one of the few hauliers to take on new staff — it is in the process of recruiting 50 lockers and packers for Is warehousing.
The Hillhout contract, plus a couple of others that Clark has managed to secure, also means that Clarks Direct turnover to 31 A Paul Clark
March, although slightly down on last year, has remained near to the £2m mark, despite the loss of the book contract. But this doesn't mean everything is rosy. Like many others, Clark still has had difficulties with his bank.
The problem, says Clark, is that even though the new work meant the company was able to project a solid monthly net profit, the bank still "didn't want to know" after the loss of the book contract. Those projected earnings have since proven to be well-founded (its latest monthly net prof it was £30,000) but the bank's attitude remains a bigger headache for Clark than his day-to-day business.