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back-up resources tends to be overplayed: "We carry three spare vehicles every day and are hooked into two large truck rental companies as well, Even on election night we only needed 10 extra vehicles." Over the past five years Acorn has developed from a £30,000-a-year business with three vans to a fleet of nearly 150 vehicles and a turnover of more than Z4m.
Hauliers who do become involved in newspaper distribution are likely to have some link with the publishing industry.
Denis Mortimer Transport Group of Milton Keynes has just set up a time-sensitive magazine delivery operation called Magspeed. Marketing director Chris Parkes, who was formerly with Newsflow, says any type of publishing distribution would have to be considered seriously but newspapers are not part of the company's immediate plans.
RESOURCES
Another candidate might be Russell Davies Distribution of Ipswich, which was invited to bid for a national newspaper distribution contract three years ago: "At the time we did not feel we had the resources to do the job," says deputy managing director Ian Wilson.
For the present no one seems likely to challenge the domination of TNT and Exel, particularly as the two companies have taken over the dominant position formerly enjoyed by British Rail. But the M&MC is adamant that primary distribution will be covered in its final report: "We have got to survey the whole market and describe how it works," says a spokesman. "The changes that have come about in distribution since 1988 are a key point for the investigation."
El by Guy Shephard