...as major players shape up to boost their profits
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• Two major hauliers recorded rising profits this week after reshaping their businesses in the face of increasing competition and pressure on margins.
London-based logistics and hire specialist Transport Development Group increased its real operating profit margin by 3.5% in the first half of the year despite a series of disposals and acquisitions that left its turnover 2% down and operating profits up just £200,000 to .C15.7m.
Improvements came from Harris Distribution and Williams Distribution while Beck & Pollitzer won enough new business to outweigh poor performances from Inter-City and French tanker business Innocenti-Royer.
Car distribution business Sheertrucks Holdings put in a good performance for its parent Jacobs Holdings during a year in which acquisitions boosted its shipping and transport division's turnover by 69% to
18.2m. Operating profit rose by 27% to £478,000.
Jacob's half-year results did not separate Sheertrucks' figures in detail but it says Sheertrucks will double the number of cars it carries this year after buying the BRS car delivery business in December. It has also built a distribution centre for Rover.
G Parcels carrier Captain Cargo, which specialises in awkward packages, is to build up its more lucrative mainstream parcels business with a name change to Fastrack Parcels. This follows its acquisition by Berkeley Business Group.