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• "He's suave, full of humour, has a distracting hyena-type laugh and supports Bedford Town and Watford, which shows that he's an optimist."
This was how NH; chairman Sir Peter Thompson lightheartedly described his successor James Watson, who was named at last week's NFC conference in Blackpool.
Watson, who has been NFC deputy chairman since 1982, will take control of the company this Christmas and says his mission is "to build on policies which have been successful over the past eight years."
However, he is taking the group's reins at a difficult time. Only last week, results for the first quarter showed operating profits down for both the transport division and the Home Services operation.
BRS has been hit by a slump in truck rental and Watson admits "where possible the firm is sending vehicles back to distribution". Express parcels carrier Lynx is finding trading tough in the fiercely competitive parcels market and redundancies have hit the Home Services division which says UK trade is down by 25%.
But not all is bleak on the NFC front. Later this year, the Home Services division will be rebranded along the lines of sister operation Exel Logistics.
"This will be a gradual move," says Watson. "We have the two leading household removal names, Pickfords and Allied Van Lines in America. We must be careful not to destroy these leading brand names, so any new title must encompass the Allied and Pickford names."
Expansion
European expansion plans are also well under way and Watson says he would be "very disappointed" if no further acquisitions were made in either America or the Continent by the end of the year.
One of NFC's strongest performers, Tankfreight, is currently negotiating with a major oil company for a distribution deal in France. Two or three French companies are being French companies are being stalked for the UK giant's distribution portfolio.
A deal is near completion with a food distributor in Spain and talks are also under way with a Spanish department store to deliver non-food products. Both Spanish operations should be up and running by the end of the year, he says.
The growing field of contract hire is also targetted for European expansion. "This is a keystone product for NH.: moves onto the Continent," says Watson.
"We are looking to find a firm in Europe, particularly in France, with physical locations to build up a contract hire operation similar to the UK."
Back home, NFC is looking to develop waste management. "Previously this was not a high growth area, but now we are conscious of its significant opportunities," he adds. Watson says waste management "is a business about having the right tipping facilities", that's why the company is planning to buy tipper operators around the UK. 'This will not be on a massive scale, but it will widen our capabilities outside the North-West and South-East," he says.
Employee stake
Within NFC, Watson wants to ensure the company's employee stake is upheld. "This must stay part of the NFC culture. When a new driver gets the keys to his lorry, he should also get a presentation on the advantages of holding NFC shares."
Watson believes he has a head start with the group's profit-sharing scheme, even though recent changes exclude any NFC employees who are involved in industrial action. He plans to improve facilities for UK workers and also intends to have performance-related pay instigated before the end of the 1990s — for drivers and managers alike.
Other aims include "making US culture of customer service second nature in the UK," and retaining the company's feeling of family ownership.
Finally, Watson says he would like to make the NFC a global company which has "premium performance against other transport firms". He believes by the end of the 1990s there will be just three or four major transport companies in the world and insists NFC will be among them.
It is a hefty agenda of objectives being brandished by the next NFC chairman, but Watson is optimistic: "If I achieve all my aims 1 will be a happy man — and I'll have a tremendous company."
El by Tanya Cordrey