Warehousing

Logistics operator GBA backs up business confidence with +£4m fleet expansion

Fast-growing European logistics operator GBA Services is backing its business confidence with a spend of over £4 million on its largest-ever vehicle purchase – driven by continuing growth in demand and a significant new entry into FMCG store delivery work.

At the company’s most recent management conference, it set out its “One GBA” vision, which includes doubled sales by 2020, and a ten-year plan to be active in every European country. The company believes its confidence is well-placed: GBA’s sales have almost quadrupled in the past 7 years, and grew 25% in 2017 alone – despite the recent uncertainty about the possible impact of Brexit.

In addition to strong organic growth, 2018 sales in GBA’s UK business are receiving a significant boost with the recent winning of two distribution contracts for household name store chains, which have taken the company into the FMCG sector and added an expected £5million in new revenue.

Now the company is backing its confidence with the single largest investment in fleet expansion of its entire 30-year history.

“Much of our future growth will continue to be organic, but we are also planning carefully-selected acquisitions – provided these are a good fit with our existing structure, and can satisfy our stringent criteria.” David Birkbeck

This comprises 20 brand new DAF XF106 double sleeper tractor units, 30 low-mileage used units to facilitate a rapid start-up for a new contract, 15 brand new Lawrence David Tall-boy 4.65m high pillarless curtain-side trailers, and its largest ever single order for vans: 30 Mercedes Sprinter 316 LWB hi-top euro 6s, 6 of which are refrigerated – 2 of them a trial for larger-capacity box-vans. In all, the fleet purchases are worth over £4 million.

The majority of the vehicles are for expansion rather than replacement, and many are left-hand-drive for allocation to GBA’s European stations in Germany, Poland, Austria and Portugal.

Says GBA Services Managing Director David Birkbeck: “While many are concerned about Brexit, we identify as many opportunities as threats. For us, the key is to have a physical presence in all major European markets; and this is a transformation programme which has been under way for some time, and is on track to position us as a truly European company.

“Much of our future growth will continue to be organic, but we are also planning carefully-selected acquisitions – provided these are a good fit with our existing structure, and can satisfy our stringent criteria.”

He concludes: “GBA is still a family-owned business founded on strong family values that have brought us a long way in 30 years. We are agile, and we believe that our people, our investments and our values provide a very solid basis for continuing growth in Europe and beyond.”

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