Hammond has northern hopes
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• Redhill-based Hammond Transport intends to expand its business in the north by acquiring a small Yorkshire operator.
Hammond managing director John Davies says he would like to double the size of the fleet now operating at Hammond's Leeds depot, bringing it up to around 30 vehicles.
"Leeds is the weakest of our depots," says Davies, who also runs sites in Luton, Birmingham and Redhifi. The depot has had management problems, he says. "To make it really work we need more business through-put. I like depots to do more than Elm but not to be bigger than Um." Leeds is currently turning over "about Elm", says Davies. Hammond wants to take over, or merge with, a "smart, tidy, well-managed company in the Leeds area with good, sound contracts" which needs some investment for expansion. Hammond already does work from Leeds for furniture manufacturer Eurospace and paper company Modopaper. The £8m turnover company now runs 120 vehicles, El Hammond Transport begins work this week on a parts distribution contract for Toyota, delivering from Toyota's Lutterworth distribution centre. The company has taken on 35 staff for the work and spent E600,000 on new vehicles, including Scanias, and Toyota and Renault vans.