Egg cellent Easter for Fakenham diatribution company

Following a successful Easter period, Fakenham-based distribution company, Jack Richards & Son Ltd, is investing in additional vehicles and appointing a new member of staff to support the team.

Jack Richards, which is a member of Palletways, Europe's leading

palletised freight network, increased its business profits by 30% over the past two months and is purchasing two 18 tonne rigid vehicles. To meet the increase in IT demands, Jack Richards is launching its new-look website this month.

The company has also appointed Alan Hunt to join its growing number of drivers and support the operations team. Hunt previously worked for DHL and has three year's experience working in the logistics industry.

Commenting on the success, Tony Richards, Principal of Jack Richards, says: "We are delighted that our hard work so far this year has paid off. We have a highly skilled and dedicated workforce who are committed to delivering exceptional service and this will only be strengthened when Alan joins the team."

Through the Palletways network, Jack Richards offers customers in

Norfolk next day and economy distribution services for one to six pallet consignments across the UK & Ireland, as well as to mainland Europe, including the Benelux countries, Denmark, Germany and France.

* Palletways, which was founded in 1994, is today the established market leader in the overnight distribution of small consignments of palletised freight. Its national network is centred on a hub operation in Lichfield, Staffordshire. Having collected earlier in the day from their local customer base, all Palletways members trunk their goods into the central hub facility where they are then processed through four warehouses totalling 350,000 sq ft. Utilising Palletways sophisticated "in-house" IT system, they are then sorted into designated delivery areas.

Members' vehicles then return during the same evening to their local depot with the goods they have been assigned to deliver. From here the goods are despatched to their final delivery points throughout that members' delivery areas across the UK. Bar-code technology and a consignment track and trace facility monitor the goods throughout the whole process.

* Palletways has the largest pallet network in the UK with 100 plus depots. The company also operates in the Benelux countries, Denmark, France Germany, Italy, the Republic of Ireland, and Spain.

* Palletways offers a range of express distribution services for small consignments of palletised freight across the UK. These include next day, next day am, timed delivery options, and Economy 2/3 day.