Hampshire and Dorset: Optimism steps up for region’s logistics sector, finds Grant Thornton event

Things are looking up. That was the message from a business event which brought together some of the most senior figures from Hampshire and Dorset’s logistics sector.

A select group of top managing and finance directors, from companies such as Southampton’s Import Services, TNT Express UK, Williams Shipping Holdings and Bournemouth’s Shears Bros Transport came together at Hotel TeraVina in The New Forest for Grant Thornton’s logistics roundtable event.

The bi-annual meeting, chaired by Grant Thornton’s business and finance experts, brings logistics leaders together to discuss the state of play of the industry, and the outlook from this latest event was one of increased optimism.

Tony Rawlins, from Bournemouth’s Shears Bros Transport, said: “It’s encouraging to see the way the economy seems to be moving forward. Our outlook is that while we’re not quite home and dry yet, we are feeling a lot more optimistic than we were 12 months ago and growth is sustaining. It’s not often you get to meet and share ideas with your industry peers so this event afforded a good opportunity to discuss the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.”

Adam Mason, head of transport and logistics at Grant Thornton in Southampton, said: "It’s promising that there’s a continued sense of optimism from logistics businesses in Hampshire and the wider area. Certainly from what we’ve seen locally operators have entered 2014 on a strong footing, confident that the wider economic revival will continue to drive demand for logistics services.”

Reflecting on the challenges local firms must bear in mind he added: “Finding and retaining drivers was a key challenge raised by delegates. Also, the relatively high level of competition in the sector is putting continued pressure on margins. Operators would be wise to keep an eye on value-added opportunities which ingrain them deeper into supply chains and strengthen their roles as critical partners in clients' success."

The discussions at the event reflected the results of Grant Thornton and Barclays’ most recent UK Logistics Confidence Index report, which showed a surge in confidence among the sector during the second half of 2013, compared to the previous six months.