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T he red and white livery of one of France's foremost

17th November 1994
Page 42
Page 42, 17th November 1994 — T he red and white livery of one of France's foremost
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

hauliers, Norbert Dentressangle, is fast becoming as familiar a sight on Britain's motorways as the famous green trucks of Eddie Stobart.

For years, bored motorists have passed the time by counting the number of "Eddies" they spy on a journey. But the Cumbrianbased firm—which even has its own fan club—is set to have a new rival as the UK's most-spotted truck operator. Norbert Dentressangle has unveiled ambitious plans to increase its British fleet from 83 to 800 trucks within five years (CM 27 October-2 November). Its five-year expansion programme will include a combination of acquisition and organic growth across its four UK operating subsidiaries, partly using funds from the .C7.5m the family-run business raised in a flotation on the Paris stock market in June. It would almost certainly make it the largest haulier to run trucks under one livery in the UK.

Almost all the Norbert Dentressangle vehicles spotted in this country are Frenchregistered and driven. But the company, based in St Vallier sur Rhone in southern France, is expanding rapidly in the UK, where it first started running in 1978. It already has four depots—it wants eight— and in January 1992 it made its first UK acquisition, buying Aylesbury-based Aston Clinton Haulage. ACH has just taken delivery of the 10,000th Renault Magnum (above).

By 1999 it intends to open sites at Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, Grangemouth, Bristol and Cardiff; and to merge three of its existing depots in the north at Widnes, Heywood and Manchester into one large base. The first, in Birmingham, was due to come on stream this month.lf everything goes to plan, Norbert Dentressangle could become the first Continental transport firm to make a significant foothold in the British domestic market since cabotage restrictions were lifted in 1993.

Eventually, group chairman Norbert Dentressangle wants the UK to have the "equivalent" coverage to the firm's French network no small ambition considering that Dentressangle operates 50 depots, 2,300 trucks and 3,300 staff in France,.

Domestic business

Until now Norbert Dentressangle has concentrated on developing its operation in France. Currently, less than 10% of its .£253m turnover is generated by UK domestic business, but Raymond McCord, the managing director of the main UK business, Norbert Dentressangle Transport, thinks this could rise to 20% by 1999.

"We understand the British market, because we have worked in it since 1978," he says. He believes that the company has a strong springboard from which to expand because only 3% of its UK generated business is with freight forwarders; the remainder comes direct from British manufacturers, who tend to be less fickle and pay higher rate& He admits that in the mid-1980s the parochialism of UK industry might have made it more difficult for the company to reach its goals: "Ten years ago a lot of British companies would probably have chosen a national company first. But now many British companies rely on Europe to survive and so are more relaxed about using a Continental supplier," he says.

The company employs six sales staff at its Trafford Park headquarters in Manchester and is keen to tap what McCord calls "contract hire", but which is more commonly known as the contract distribution market. This activity accounts for 13% of its group turnover, but so far Dentressangle has made little impact in a UK sector that is dominated by Exel Logistics and the Transport Development Group.

Storage too is a potential growth area. Aston Clinton Haulage has a 4,000m2 warehouse at its Aylesbury base, and several of the new sites are likely to incorporate this service.

Another new venture is swap bodies. Norbert Dentressangle Transport launched a three-month trial of the service to southern Europe this month, using the Channel Tunnel and, at present, hired equipment.

So should British hauliers be quaking in their boots at the prospect of the biggest invasion from across the Channel since 1066? One prominent international operator, who did not want to be named, cast doubts on the ability of the French company to fund such an expansion. "Its trucks simply don't make enough money. They make about


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