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Sutton & Son defies market to make more
Page 9
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NORTH-WEST haulage contractor Sutton & Son (St Helens) has boosted its pre-tax profits by almost £600,000 despite tough market conditions and regulatory burdens.
For the year ending 30 April the company made a profit of £682,000 on a turnover of £39m, but it warns that continuing cost pressures mean trading will remain difficult for the foreseeable future.
Sutton & Son is part of Suttons Group, whose ultimate parent company is Thomas Grad ley Holdings.
As OM/vent to press only the Sutton & Son accounts were available from Companies House. However, Suttons Group says its tankers arm improved its performance by reducing costs and "improving operational efficiencies".
Its chemicals business also performed strongly, Out gas and petroleum operations struggled. Its general haulage fleet was downsized as well In addition, a decision by Traffic Commissioner Beverley Bell in March to cut Sutton & Son's licence from 175 vehicles to 117 is expected to affect next year's results.
Sutton & Son says: "The company remains concerned about continuing cost pressures. However, it continues to invest in IT infrastructure and has implemented a hardware replacement programme including emphasis on the capacity and security of business communications networks."