Connect UK confers and collects agents
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• Despite scare stories in certain sections of the road transport press Connect UK, the fledgling parcels network, looks set to begin operations on 6 July with road hauliers covering all 430 parcel areas.
This week the company held three conferences for hauliers interested in working for it and more than 600 turned up.
Marketing director Barry Glazer says he was "absolutely delighted" with the conferences. The strength of response from road hauliers has led the company to call-in a company called Sales Performance Analysis (SPA) specialising in the allocations of areas to distribute business areas according to the twin criteria of business potential and travelling distances.
In one or two cases hauliers based within a few kilometres of one another have paid deposits with Connect UK. Glazer says their areas will be split evenly by SPA, but if this proves impossible one of the companies may be turned away and their deposit returned.
David Woodhouse of J E Wales says: "It certainly looks a very good thing if it can all be arranged and sorted out in time." Woodhouse is based just 6.4km from another Connect UK haulier, but he has been offered the possibility of some trunking work to compensate him.
One leading operator in the North-East is planning to work for Connect UK in at least eight areas. The haulier, who asked not to be named for commercial reasons, said he attended all three Connect UK conferences to ensure he was happy with the operation. "Initially I had shown great concern," he said, "but now I have no worries whatsoever."
This haulier, like a number linked with Connect UK, is planning to build on the Connect UK network to offer other services such as warehousing and break bulk operations. Mike Richards from Lelant-based R L Cargeeg says: "On break bulk we'll have to wait and see; we are based so far west." Glazer says: "We plan to bed down the parcels operation and get it running as efficiently as possible before launching break bulk distribution and other services."
By the 6 July launch Connect UK plans to have around 2,000 staff in place at eight regional depots with sophisticated computer equipment linking them and the operators. Glazer says a nationwide marketing campaign is planned to ensure that everyone in the country knows about Connect UK before its 6 July launch.
Connect UK has budgeted to spend £4 million in getting established this year. Glazer says this money will be forthcoming from financial institutions, not private companies. Final touches are being made to some of the financial agreements but none of the financial institutions will retain voting shares in Connect.