r&s february 2011

February 2011 Number 439 £4.00 www.bar.co.uk

Search for a Vice President 22 Getting a better body 48 Kilmarnock Removals 52

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The big freezeHow one company beat the blizzards 50

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NewsFROM WATFORD

February 2011 Removals & Storage 5

Contact Details: Editorial Contribution on all aspects of the Removals & Storage industry are welcomed, together with photographs if appropriate. Please contact The Editor, Steve Jordan:Tel: 01908 695500 Fax: 01908 690099Email: [email protected] By post: Removals & Storage, The Words Workshop Ltd 26 Swanwick Lane, Broughton, Milton Keynes MK10 9LD

Contact Details: Advertising For all enquiries and bookings, please contact Nikki Gee: Tel: 01908 695500 Fax: 01908 690099Email: [email protected]: The booking deadline for all display advertisements is the 10th of the month preceding publication.

Removals & Storage is subscribed to by members of the British Association of Removers in the UK and Overseas.

Subscriptions: Additional subscriptions are available from BAR at: Tangent House, 62 Exchange Road, Watford, Hertfordshire WD18 0TG. Tel: 01923 699 480 Fax: 01923 699 481 E-mail: [email protected]. Current annual subscription is £48.00 in the UK and £72.00 overseas.

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in Removals & Storage are notnecessarily those of the British Association of Removers, or of its publisher.

All rights reserved: No part of Removals & Storage may be scanned, reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form without the prior written permission of the publisher.

President: Reg HackworthyDirector General: Stephen VickersCompany Secretary: James FalknerEditor: Steve JordanAssistant Editor: David JordanNews Editor: Nikki Gee

Removals & Storage is designed on behalf of The British Association of Removers by: I Like. Tel: 01908 675854, Email: [email protected](To contact R&S, see details opposite.)

The British Association of RemoversTel: 01923 699 480 Fax: 01923 699 481 E-mail: [email protected]

In the week commencing 14 February members will receive an invitation to nominate representatives to become Directly

Elected Directors on the BAR Board, and also Directors on the Board of BAR (Services) Ltd and QSS Ltd. This is a key aspect of the democratic structure of BAR so please give it your attention and ensure that nominations are made to the Company Secretary by the end of the month. The BAR President also acts as Chairman of the Board, and a short piece can be found on page 22 on the role played by the President and the Vice President in the life of the Association. Succession planning is important and any member who would like more information on this key role is encouraged to step forward.

Lobbying on behalf of members continues apace. The recent increase in the rate of VAT has concentrated minds and the Chancellor of the Exchequer has confirmed that this is a permanent measure and unlikely to be undone in the foreseeable future. The level at which VAT registration is required is high in the UK compared to Europe and does nothing to deter those who operate in the black economy undercutting legitimate businesses, no less in the removals industry than elsewhere. BAR is making strenuous efforts to persuade government that the level for registration should not be increased each year - there is an argument that it should be reduced. The cost of fuel goes up and a major element in this is fuel-duty. The problem this causes is being recognised and pressure on government to introduce a fuel duty regulator is being applied, in co-operation with other trade associations.

When the cost of fuel rises so does the government tax-take from the fuel companies, so a corresponding reduction in fuel duty would have no adverse impact on the government’s efforts to balance the books. Prime Minister David Cameron has indicated that consideration is being given to this initiative and that is welcome.

At last a response has been received from the Office of Fair Trading to the Annual Report on the application of the BAR Code of Practice. Concern has again been expressed by OFT at the number of BAR members who cannot or will not demonstrate that they carry out customer satisfaction surveys. A fuller report will appear in next month’s R&S but it is important that this exercise is undertaken with care and that the results are reported to BAR.

It is important for BAR to maintain regular contact with its members. With day-to-day pressures many members do not have the time to attend Area meetings, roadshows and conferences. So, the Commercial Department in Watford is embarking on a new initiative, to speak to each member company by telephone at least once in each year, both to keep in touch on a general basis and also to monitor needs and areas of particular interest and concern. The Domestic Mover of the Year and Commercial Mover of the Year competitions are in progress, with on-site inspections of premises of CMOTY contenders taking place at the present time. Inspections of shortlisted DMOTY companies will be undertaken in March. Once again, interest in these competitions has been lively and the winners will be announced at the Gala Dinner at the Annual Conference in May.

Article submission: 5th of the month preceding publicationBooking of display adverts: 10th of the month preceding publicationBooking of classified adverts: 10th of the month preceding publication

Booking of trade adverts: 10th of the month preceding publicationArtwork for adverts: 15th of the month preceding publication

Copy and advertising deadlines 2010

On the cover: Bournes of East Sussex report on how they dealt with last December’s appalling weather.

No: 439 February 2011 www.bar.co.uk

This month:Editor’s Column 6Industry News 6-21CBI predictions for 2011Maidmans’ self storage ventureOrders up, profits down for small businessesBusiness information onlinePotholes worse than last yearUK housing market updateNew drugs and driving survey

BAR News 22-26Search for a Vice PresidentBAR Services delivery serviceProduct of the MonthYoung Mover Profile: Caroline MasonYorkshire Area dinner

CMG News 28Profile: MJF Business Services Training sponsorship for FMs

Overseas Group News 30-32Interview: Ian Palmer‘Moving forward’ in support of BAR

Training News 36-40Young Movers meet againBARTS update

European News 42-45News RoundupHHG included as ‘Chapter 99’FEDEMAC annual report

Letters 46People News 46And another thing ... 47Competition 47 Articles 48-54Essex BodiesSnow troubleProfile: Kilmarnock RemovalsMoving Japanese clients

Memberships 55Diary Dates 56Feature Schedule 56

Removals & Storage February 2011

Industry News

6

By now we hope that the atrocious weather we had during December has subsided. It was bad enough for me trying to get to work in my car but it must have been shocking for you trying

to keep customers happy. Over the last month I have heard many stories of service above and beyond the call of duty: one, from Bournes, we have included in this issue. Congratulations to everyone who battled through and didn’t let the side down, particularly those members in Scotland who had it particularly bad.

Talking of Scotland, thanks to the team at Kilmarnock Removals who made me very welcome during my frozen visit in December. Please read their story, as it will be inspirational for anyone trying to build a business. Thanks too to Essex Bodies who received me warmly after I had battled through snow drifts to get to their place for an interview. I think you’ll find Steve Thompson’s comments on body type approval particularly interesting.

This issue includes the first of our interviews with OSG members. I started with the chairman of the OSG, Ian Palmer of Whites. Ian had lots to say about the industry in general and the overseas business in particular. His comments about IMMI were particularly interesting I thought; please take a look for yourself, I’ll be interested in your comments.

Finally, I notice that BAR is on the lookout for a new vice president and would welcome applications. I remember, 30 years ago or more perhaps, saying to Colin Quarrington who was editor of R&S at the time, that I would never be BAR president because I was not a business owner or MD. He assured me that I was wrong: the presidency, even then, was open to anyone who came to the notice of the Board. But the perception was different. Perhaps this new initiative will encourage more to come forward. I hope so.

Steve Jordan

THE

Editor’sCOLUMN

The company has bought the former GT Tools premises in Coxmoor Road which have

been empty for a year since the specialist manufacturer went into administration.

The company plans will breathe new life into the building which has suffered from vandalism and give it a much-needed facelift. Refurbishment will cost £250,000 and conversion to its new use, which has been granted planning permission by Ashfield District Council, will add on another £600,000. This will include a new, higher roof, new cladding, new utility services, a lift and new offices, kitchen, toilet, and new shutter doors for access and a loading bay.

Work will be done in two phases. The first phase, which is expected to be completed by late spring, will create 17,000ft2 of storage space. That will create 150 storage units ranging in size from 20ft2 to 400ft2. The company plans to put in a mezzanine floor later to double the storage space on offer.

BE Webbe, one of the first companies in Derby to introduce self storage, has invested in providing facilities in the city, Burton, and Long Eaton, and has been looking around the Sutton and Mansfield area for two years for a viable site having identified a need.

“It’s taken us this long because it is very difficult to find suitable premises that are appropriate for self storage requirements,” said Director Richard Blount. “We are delighted to have found these premises which fit those requirements and we are looking forward to providing self storage facilities in the Mansfield area.”

A bonus with this site is that it has a large yard area at the side of the building which will be used to provide a secure, gated compound. There is easy access from the M1 and A38 corridor stretching over to South Normanton and nearby Alfreton in Derbyshire. Refurbishment work will be carried out by Webbe’s associated company Kinsey (Midlands).

BE Webbe transforms former factory to self storageDerby-based BE Webbe is investing around £900,000 to transform a disused factory at Sutton-in-Ashfield into its latest self storage facility.

Right: Director Richard Blount; Left: General Manager Michael Shaw

Now we think we’ve got it bad with our fuel prices on what

seems to be a perpetual increase. But consider for a moment the poor people of Iran who, as a result of their government’s decision to remove fuel subsidies, have seen their petrol prices increase four-fold overnight.

But before we rush around planning a relief appeal for our Iranian friends consider the rest of the story: it’s

gone up from 10 US cents a litre to 40 US cents a litre – about 30p in sterling. Now all this has to be kept in proportion with the values applicable within the Iranian economy but it does, at least, give a good indication of the true cost of getting the stuff out of the ground.

No doubt we will all reflect upon this heart-warming thought when we next queue up to pay £1.30 at our local BP station.

Iranian petrol prices

February 2011 Removals & Storage

Industry News

7

In his annual letter to members he said that many people were unsure about what 2011 would bring for their businesses. He said

that was understandable, “because the economic and political outlook both seem volatile over the short-term.”

He believed that the pace of economic recovery would be very slow at the start of 2011. For various reasons he felt that the quarterly growth rate in the first three months of 2011 could be down to as little as 0.2%, compared with 0.7% in the third quarter of 2010. He felt this would come at a sensitive time with local authority elections in England, national elections in Scotland and Wales, and the promised referendum on voting reform. At the same time, welfare cuts will be starting to bite.

“You can easily imagine the screaming news headlines: about the threat of a double-dip recession; about strains on the coalition government; about protests in the streets,” he said.

He said that this scenario will be playing out against the background of continuing turmoil in the Eurozone. The direct exposure of UK banks to the most troubled countries is quite modest. But recovery prospects in the UK would certainly be damaged if the contagion were to spread across our major trading partners in the

European Union.“However,” he said, “the latest CBI forecasts,

which are pretty much in line with the consensus view, suggest that growth in private sector investment and trade will start to pick up in the second half of the year, and continue into 2012. That would bring GDP growth of 2% in 2011 and 2.4% the year after – not much to shout about, perhaps, at this stage of a recovery, but enough to keep unemployment under control and the public finances on track.”

This means that the CBI is not expecting a double-dip recession, or a dramatic surge in inflation and interest rates. And it is forecasting that overall employment at the end of 2012 will be higher than it is today, with growth in the private sector more than offsetting job losses among public sector employees.

Mr Lambert explained that business investment and trade will be the essential engines for growth and job creation in the next few years. “The good news here is that export orders are strengthening, and our surveys of investment intentions in both the manufacturing and services sectors are also picking up sharply from a low base. After three years in which the emphasis has been heavily concentrated on cost cutting, business people are once more beginning to think about growth.”

He closed his letter by saying that it all comes down to confidence. “Of course there are lots of risks and uncertainties ahead, especially in the next few months. But with company balance sheets in reasonable shape and interest rates staying low, 2011 could also be a year of opportunity.”

The offices of Chudley International Moving and Shipping received an interesting item in the post over Christmas. It was a glass

jug that a customer had bought over the Internet for inclusion in an overseas consignment. The unknown dispatcher had done a wonderful export packing job with the aid of an over-sized cardboard box, an ice cream carton lid and three fag packets.

The innovative packing system is both economic and effective as the fragile jug arrived through the Christmas post in perfect condition. “At first we were in horror at how

someone could be lacking in their packing skills,” said Adam Chudley, “but then someone raised a good point that the packing had worked and the jug arrived in one piece. This raises a few questions: 1) Should BAR Services start selling empty cigarette packets and ice cream lids? 2) Should we include this method in our next packing training course; or 3) Should we go down to our local sorting office and congratulate our much loved (sarcasm intended) postman.”

BARTS has been informed of the new technique for inclusion in the next packing skills course.

Globalink secures prestigious award

Globalink Logistics Group achieved recognition once again when its CEO Mr Siddique Khan was awarded the

Entrepreneurship Award of the year by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Kazakhstan.

It is one of the most prestigious and highly rated awards given after nominations go through a meticulous voting process. The award was presented to Mr Khan during the annual black tie AmCham Awards dinner with over 200 members and attendees. Nominations were spread over a dozen different categories with several hopefuls for each category.

While an incredible achievement, few were surprised when the winner was announced. Founded by Mr Siddique Khan in 1994, Globalink has continuously expanded its presence in the region and today covers the CIS, Europe, Middle East, China and South East Asia with a network of 30 offices. The recipient of many awards, both local and international, Globalink is the only logistics provider in Kazakhstan and the CIS that offers a complete set of logistics services to its customers. Having achieved this in just 16 years, Globalink has become one of the fastest growing and most respected companies in the region with 75% of its customers coming from Fortune 500 companies.

Matthew Bond, Managing Director of Capital Partners presents Mr Siddique Khan with his Entrepreneurship Award

CBI predictions for 2011According to Richard Lambert, Director General of the CBI, there are bumpy times ahead for businesses in Britain.

New recommended packing technique for china and glass

New packing technique is both simple and effective

Richard Lambertpredicts an uncertain start to 2011 for businesses

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Industry News

9

After looking at the industry for some time the decision was taken to embark on this new venture when the right premises

finally became available. Managing Director Brain Maidman has long seen self storage as a natural extension to his current storage portfolio and had no hesitation in seeking the advice of Active Supply & Design as to the suitability of the new building for self storage purposes.

Brian had thoroughly researched the market and had previously rejected several other buildings prior to signing for the new warehouse. The facility has been the culmination of years of research and is in an ideal location with close proximity to retail traffic and good access, parking and unloading.

Store & Secure Self Storage is to be managed by Brian’s daughter Lucy who has recently benefited from time spent in self storage facilities in the north of England as she learns her new trade. Active Supply & Design has been heavily involved throughout the whole process, from initial advice in relation to site suitability through to the complete fit-out of the new store.

The sparkling new facility includes a two-tier mezzanine floor with fire protection, enclosed staircases, 122 self storage rooms to both the

ground and first floor levels and a full electrical and security package to complement the works. The new facility will also house Maidmans’ successful removal business which was the first UK business to attain all three BSI quality standards for moving and storing.

After the fit-out was completed Brian commented: “Active were our preferred suppliers, they have shown support over many years now, in helping us identify the right building. On many occasions we have been up the wrong alleyways but they have always responded positively. From start to finish they have delivered on timescales, budget and quality of fit-out with a flexible approach at all times even at short notice. Partnerships are important to us here at Maidmans as we know from experience that we like to establish long-term relationships with suppliers to secure future developments.”

The facility, which opened at the beginning of 2011, is another example demonstrating the strength and growth of the self storage industry. Facilities are continuing to open throughout the UK as the industry continues to move in the right direction, showing that the demand for quality self storage is very much in existence.

Maidmans moves into self storageLong established removals company Maidmans of Bournemouth has entered the self storage industry with the fit-out of its new warehouse in the town.

New identity for Baxters International

Baxters International Removals Ltd in the UK, founded in 1974 and under new ownership since 2007, has

changed its company name and logo. The company will henceforth be called Momentous.

Simon Osborne, Group Managing Director said, “The reasons for the name change are quite simple. Since the new owners acquired the company four years ago, we have spent a lot of time reshaping, and restructuring, pushing the company in a new direction. That has made us less dependant on any one element of our business, rapidly grown our international and retail business, and taken us into the fine art packing and shipping arena through the acquisition of a company in the early part of 2009.”

The company is FIDI – FAIM accredited, ISO 9001:2008 certified, and is a shareholder of UTS Unigroup Worldwide. Additionally the company is a member of BAR, BAR Overseas, IAM, and EuRA. Tony Jarvis, Sales Director said, “These certifications, and our membership of the UTS/Unigroup network give us access to a worldwide system of partners, which enables us to compete against much larger organisations in the moving industry when the need arises. That, coupled with an investment in experienced international personnel at our Waltham Abbey location, makes me confident we can sustain our aggressive growth in this important segment of our business.”

The international operations group is overseen by John Payne, Head of International and Fine Art Business, and is staffed by experienced move managers and coordinators. They have recently been joined by Amanda Andrews who compliments the team as Head of International Sales reporting to Tony Jarvis.

Talking about the new identity Simon Osborne commented, “We are excited about our new identity, our new direction, and I look forward to our continued growth in all segments of the business.”

Truck sales bounced back strongly in December, with registrations of trucks over six tonnes up 76% on 2009.

However, figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that the upturn came too late to stop the whole-year figures showing a 1.25% decline on 2009.

The total market for commercial vehicles over six tonnes for 2010 was 27,588.

DAF took sector leadership for the year with a share of 23.75% followed by Mercedes then Scania and Volvo. The van market was up 19.6% for the year at 222,915 while the light truck sector (3.5-6t) was up 0.9% at 6,870.

Truck market ends year on a high

Inside the Store & Secure Self Storage warehouse

The new Momentous logo


Industry News

10

Local authorities and the police will have to publish full information about speed cameras, under proposals announced by

Road Safety Minister Mike Penning on 29 December, 2010.

By April 2011 the government wants information about cameras to be easily available to the public. This could include data about accident rates at camera sites, vehicle speeds and the numbers of motorists prosecuted or offered training after offences recorded by cameras.

Mike Penning said, “Public bodies should be accountable and if taxpayers’ money is being spent on speed cameras then it is right that information about their effectiveness is available to the public. The proposals I have announced today will help show what impact cameras are having on accident and casualty rates and also how the police are dealing with offenders.”

“This is in line with our commitment to improve transparency of government data so that the public are able to make more informed judgments about the work of local and central government,” he continued.

The Department for Transport will be working with police and local authority representatives

as well as the Highways Agency to discuss the details of what should be published and how. The final requirements will then be confirmed in time for publication in April 2011.

Motoring pressure group the Association of British Drivers (ABD) has said it welcomes the move to force camera partnerships to publish speed cam era accident data, but implores the government to insist upon full and accurate information.

ABD Chairman Brian Gregory said: “The ABD has years of experience attempting to get raw data out of elusive partnerships without success. Any data grudgingly released is invariably missing vital information or spun in a misleading fashion. This cannot continue.”

The ABD is calling for all camera partnerships to be forced to reveal the following:

Full details of casualty and accident data per billion vehicle kilometers at each camera site five years either side of installation. This should include accident and casualty dates, exact speeds of the vehicles involved, directions of travel and the distance from the camera’s location.

The ABD says casualties should be separated into fatal, seriously injured and non-seriously

Speed camera operators to publish full information

injured, rather than the often misleading ‘killed or seriously injured’ figures. So called causal factors such as drink, drugs, un-roadworthy and stolen vehicles should also be revealed as well as changes to the road layout or other physical characteristics during the ten year period.

Brian Gregory continued: “Only when armed with the full information can the public see exactly what effect an individual camera has had. Of course, the raw data will also need to be ‘trend adjusted’, i.e. casualties will have fallen everywhere over any recent ten year period due to huge advances in vehicle design.”

A working group involving the police, local authority officers, DfT and the Highways Agency will progress the implementation of the proposal during the next three months.

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Industry News

11

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Many small businesses have experienced a rise in orders and turnover in recent months, new research has discovered.

The Forum of Private Business (FPB) found that almost 30% of members on its ‘Economy Watch’ panel saw increases in their order books and turnovers, with only 16% reporting a decrease. However, many business owners on the panel also reported a sharp drop in profitability during the same period as increases in fuel costs, energy prices and raw materials hit home.

Almost half the firms surveyed said they had seen a recent increase in the cost of doing business. As a result, 27% reported a decrease in profitability since they were last surveyed in October, compared with just 14% reporting an increase.

Forum spokesman Phil McCabe said: “Our research shows that, for now at least, business appears to be on the up for many small firms. This perhaps reflects other statistics on the

health of the overall economy in recent months. However, the ever-increasing costs of unavoidable overheads like gas, electricity, fuel and raw materials are taking their toll and eating into small companies’ profitability.”

Economy Watch also revealed businesses expect to secure 20% more finance for development in 2011 than they did in 2010. Those surveyed expected to receive around £45,500 each next year, rather than the £38,000 they said they expected during 2010 when surveyed in February. However, the amount business expect to source from external sources - predominantly traditional bank lending – has seen a 27% slump in favour of more support from internal sources such as directors, friends and family members.

Mr McCabe commented: “It’s obviously encouraging to see that smaller businesses expect to invest more in business development next year than they did in 2010. It shows they are fairly optimistic about their prospects as

we head into 2011 and believe they will be able to develop and grow in the future. The large drop in the amount of finance small companies expect to receive from external sources does serve as a stark reminder of how much faith has been lost in traditional credit streams such as bank lending. However, we believe there are alternatives and ways for SMEs to greatly improve their chances of securing finance.”

Economy Watch also found that businesses appear to have been encouraged by the government’s Comprehensive Spending Review with significantly more companies being positive about the government’s handling of the economy.

Other key findings from the November Economy Watch report included: • Businesses confidence is slightly higher than it was in October, but still significantly below a peak recorded by Economy Watch in April; • Based on the responses from panel members, employment among SMEs is expected to increase by around 3% in 2011; • Creating a better economic climate emerged as the top priority among those surveyed; • Almost nine out of every ten business owners appear unconcerned about the Coalition’s shake-up of regional development agencies; • Late payment continues to be a problem for smaller companies.

Orders up but profits down at smaller firms


Industry News

12

This includes information on environmental and energy management, currently to be found at the separate NetRegs site. The sites

will be Business Link (England), Business Info (Northern Ireland), Business Gateway (Scotland) and Flexible Support for Business (Wales).

Brian Rickerby, Director of energy consultancy company energyTeam, said this is a good time for businesses to take note that the goal is conservation, not just box-ticking compliance. He commented: “On the face of it this sounds like good news, as long as it is not just a case of shifting complex and confusing information from one platform to another. We see so many

businesses that are bogged down by the small print when surely the whole point of the legislation is to facilitate finding ways of reducing their consumption and costs? It really is time that the emphasis shifted from compliance to conservation.”

As well as environmental information the Business Link site, for example, carries advice on finance and grants, health and safety, IT and e-commerce, marketing, international trade, buying and selling businesses and much more. It’s a really useful resource for everyone in business. Take a look at www.businesslink.gov.uk for more information.

Consolidated online information for businessesThe government is changing the way it provides information for business online. The online consolidation will bring together all the information people need to run a business in one place for each country in the UK.

Roaring Bournemouth

Britannia Leatherbarrows and Britannia Legerstar Self Storage jointly sponsored the Pride of

Bournemouth art festival recently by storing lions and distributing them as sponsors signed up.

The event was the biggest public art event ever staged in Bournemouth. More than 500 business leaders and other important local figures met at the Royal Bath Hotel to celebrate Pride in Bournemouth, due to be held across the town next summer.

Stars of the show were actress, conservationist and author Virginia McKenna, representing the Born Free Foundation and actor Martin Clunes, who is a patron of Born Free and also local charity Julia’s House. Both charities benefit from the event that requires local businesses to sponsor a lion sculpture, then work with a local artist to design and display it in locations around Bournemouth.

All the town’s primary schools have been invited to take part with mini lions and by summer 2011 there should be a large pride of beautifully decorated lions scattered across the town.

The aim is for local residents and visitors to follow a special trail to view the lions, which will eventually be auctioned off for the two charities.

Founder sponsors of the event are the Daily Echo, Bournemouth council, the Royal Bath Hotel and Heart South Coast. “Next summer lions will be standing on the streets of Bournemouth,” said Miss McKenna. “They will be colourfully and powerfully reminding us that we are not the only creatures on the planet. The wonderful lions of Bournemouth will help to ensure that the thrilling roar of the lion will still echo in African skies and all of us at Born Free are thrilled to be part of Bournemouth’s exciting venture.”

Martin Clunes added: “Pride in Bournemouth 2011 is going to be a real crowd-pleaser and bring lots of people into the town but it’s also good to know that it will raise much-needed funds for Julia’s House and I’m happy to give the event my support.”

In recent months the Google search engine has recognised the feedback provided by Referenceline as

authoritative and has started to attach star ratings to entries. Mark Dealtry, Managing Director of Referenceline admits that this will take some time to roll out across every firm that uses the system but it has been showing up for many companies including Luxfords, Richard Healey Removals, Matthew James Removals, Matt Purdie and many others.

“It shows that consumers of all ages are using the web to find just about anything these days,” said Mark. “Cost is not the only issue. The vast majority of people moving house really want to be reassured that you will turn up and you won’t drop anything.”

It’s also interesting to notice that if you Google ‘Recommended Removers’, the Referenceline site comes up top of page one with an immediate endorsement of BAR.

Referenceline is BAR’s preferred method of providing consumer feedback in line with the Code of Practice. Any company not currently using the system and interested in doing so should contact Mark Dealtry on 0870 8701000 or visit the company’s website on www.referenceline.com.

Google recognisesthe value of Referenceline

Left to right: Will Travers, son of Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna from the Born Free Foundation; Martin Clunes, actor; Johanna Lawrence, artist and David Trenchard

The government now provides all the information you need to run a business in one place

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2011-12

WINNER

DOMESTICMOVER OFTHE YEAR

WINNER

COMMERCIALMOVER OFTHE YEAR

2011

BASIL FRY & COMPANY

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FINALIST

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2011-12

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Industry News

17

Overcapacity in 2011 should drive down ocean freight rates

Despite the winter seasonal downturn, overcapacity in the containership market is expected to get worse in

2011, according to analyst SeaAxis in its quarterly market report.

Philippe Hoehlinger, VP of Risk Management at SeaAxis, said containership deliveries over the past five months had reached “unprecedented levels” and carriers will be “squeezed” by capacity that is growing faster than demand. He said the extra capacity had arrived as cancellations and postponements of new orders had stopped, slow-steaming had reached a “plateau” and vessel scrapings had decreased.

He warned that carriers faced an orderbook representing 26% of current effective capacity. However, he added: “The good news is that shipping lines are now laying-up more vessels, which will reduce the imbalance between growth in cargo trade and growth in available capacity. This will drive the shipping industry in the right direction – although the efforts made are not sufficient for the time being.”

Operational fleet capacity, excluding the impact of slow-steaming, is expected to increase 17% in 2010 and a further 10% by the end of 2011, says the report. Hoehlinger said: “All trends remaining constant, the vessel capacity oversupply situation will reach its peak at the end of the first quarter of 2011, and will then gradually recover – slightly quicker than previously expected – but not entirely, until the end of 2011. Freight rates are already indicating the change of trend that is due to last for the next two quarters.”

He concluded: “Despite the seasonal squeeze, and the short-term expected challenges, the underlying fundamentals for container shipping remain largely favourable in the mid-term with the forging of global supply chains.”

The pothole-ridden state of the UK’s roads coincided with a double increase in the price of running a vehicle, with a 0.76p

increase in fuel duty on 1 January and the VAT increase to 20% on the 4th.

Neil Greig, IAM Director of Policy and Research, said: “Drivers will be rightly incensed that cutbacks on essential road spending are taking place while they are being forced to dig deeper to stay mobile. A car is not a luxury item and if running costs go up, the household budget will have to be cut elsewhere to compensate.”

The IAM want some of the new duties and taxes to be earmarked for road repairs and road safety measures. Every year the government raises more than £25billion in fuel tax and £13 billion in VAT from road users. It makes long-term economic sense to keep investing in better roads now to save even higher bills in the future.

Mr Greig continued: “While cuts to the budget for road repairs are frustrating, drivers must learn how to deal with the state of the roads today, so bear in mind the following tips for safely navigating potholes and broken surfaces,”:• Leave plenty of room between you and the vehicle in front so that you can see the road surface before you drive or ride over it;• If you do hit a pothole, check your tyres once you’ve stopped. Examine the inner as well as the outer tyre wall, which may have been

damaged; • Get the wheel alignment (tracking) checked as well; an impact with a pothole can easily disturb the adjustment, resulting in rapid tyre wear and affecting the vehicle’s handling; • Avoid suddenly pulling out to avoid a pothole – there might be a motorcyclist trying to get past you, or you could enter the path of an oncoming vehicle; • Potholes can be even more dangerous for cyclists and motorcyclists; give them plenty of room to steer past them. They are entitled to a wobble and would appreciate not having a motorist trying to overtake as they are taking avoiding action; • Potholes tend to reappear in the same place as previous repairs fail - remember where you’ve seen one and expect it to be there again; • Be extra vigilant on roads with lots of lorries, and around bus stops. Extra pressure is put on the road surface wherever heavy vehicles stop, start or turn.

Mr Greig continued: “Anticipation, planning and good forward vision will help you spot that lethal pothole and help avoid unwanted extra bills for new tyres and wheels. You can reduce your running costs right away by adopting advanced driving techniques or taking an eco-driving course which have been shown to deliver immediate savings of up to 30% in fuel consumption.”

Winter potholes even worse than last year, says the IAMThe Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) is warning that serious deterioration in the condition of many UK roads, due to severe winter weather, could be even worse than last year.

Carriers’ orderbooks currently represent only 26% of current effective capacity


Industry News

18

Most employees steal from their workplace

The majority of employees have stolen from their place of work according to a recent survey conducted by offi ce design

company Maris Interiors. Men are particularly light-fi ngered, with an astonishing 82% admitting to helping themselves, compared to 71% of women surveyed.

The stationery cupboard was hardest hit, with pens (60%) and printer paper (42%) being the most commonly pilfered. Stamps (31%), mugs (28%) and toilet paper (24%) were also frequently taken items. The stapler – often thought of as a frequent target of offi ce thieves – was only taken by 6% of those surveyed.

One in twenty employees admitted to having taken more valuable items ranging from printer toner to laptops. More unusual items declared included chairs and offi ce plants, even fi ling cabinets, carpet tiles and entire desks.

Maris Interiors Chairman Michael Howard said, “We all know that the stationery cupboard suffers a bit but we were extremely surprised that the numbers were quite so high. The mind boggles why someone would take their desk home – not to mention quite how they managed it!”

370 people participated in the survey, conducted between 10 – 17 November, 2010 and the top fi ve most commonly stolen items were: pens (60%), paper (42%), Post-it notes (34%), computer software (31%) and stamps (31%)

Immigration cap aims to keep Britain open for business

The BAR’s lobbying efforts can claim some success with a recent Home Offi ce announcement of its plans for a cap on work

visas from April 2011. The announcement follows considerable lobbying effort by BAR, the CBI and other organisations across government. The new plans refl ect the need to keep Britain open for business and secure the recovery by prioritising workers with a job offer coming to the UK from outside the EU over those who don’t have one.

The plans also aim to ensure businesses with international operations can continue to manage global workforces effectively, by exempting a large number of intra-company transfers (ICTs) from the cap, as called for by BAR and the CBI. A consultation has also been published on changes to the student route, where the priority will be to protect degree level entry to the UK.

Lobbying efforts will now focus on ensuring clear and timely guidance for employers ahead of the cap coming into force in April.

Jack Short, Secretary General of the International Transport Forum, the transport think tank at The Organisation

for Economic Co-operation (OECD) in Paris, believes that the agreement reached in Cancún will not increase pressure on vehicle operators to reduce CO2 emissions.

Transport is responsible for 23% of global CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion.

“The Cancún Agreements decided at COP 16 may have given new impetus to a stalled UN negotiating process but will have no direct impact on continued global growth of transport CO2 emissions,” commented Short. “Despite conciliatory moves in the fi nal hours of the conference, it now seems less likely that countries will be able to agree an extension of the Kyoto

Protocol or an alternative, wider-ranging international treaty on greenhouse gas emissions reductions by 2012.”

He continued: “This means that political pressure to reduce emissions in the transport sector will probably not increase over the next few years. In some cases it may indeed wane. In practice, carbon constraints will likely not become a defi ning factor for transport policy for several more years. Crucially, lack of progress in Cancún and the postponement of emission trading schemes in the USA and Australia means we are moving away from setting an international framework for pricing carbon.”

On the lessons for transport that can be drawn from Cancún, Short said: “The fi rst lesson is that countries should re-centre their efforts on carbon reduction policies that have value for society beyond CO2 mitigation alone. This means focusing on policies that deliver strong co-benefi ts such as congestion reduction, enhanced energy security, pollutant reduction and fuel cost savings. The second lesson is that prospects for signifi cantly reducing emissions and avoiding disruptive climate change have not improved - transport must now ready itself to adapt itself to a changing climate.”

UK HOUSING MARKET UPDATE

To keep BAR members informed of the changing conditions in the housing market the R&S will be compiling a monthly update of the most important facts and fi gures taken from the Halifax House Price Index.

December 2010Average House Price for December: £162,435 - down 1.3% on the previous month; • Down 1.6% on last year;• Down 0.9% on the previous quarter.

Prices in the three months to December were 0.9% lower than in the preceding three monthsThis rate of decline remains signifi cantly lower than the quarterly falls of 5-6% during the second half of 2008. House price data on this basis provides the clearest indication of overall market trends, smoothing out the monthly volatility caused by the reduced number of monthly transactions used to calculate all house price indices.

Prices in December were 1.6% lower On an annual basis, prices in December were 1.6% lower as measured by the average for the latest three months against the same period a year earlier. Prices in December alone were 3.4% lower than in December 2009.

Limited movement expected in 2011Nationally, movement in house prices is expected to be limited during 2011 but with the risks on the downside.

Some modest variations in house price performance across the country, however, are likely. The regional picture is likely to be affected by the impact of public spending reductions.

The low interest rate environment has reduced the burden of servicing mortgage debt Typical mortgage payments for a new borrower have fallen from a peak of 48% of average disposable earnings in mid 2007 to 29% in the last quarter of 2010. This key measure of affordability is at a better level than the long-term average over the past 25 years (37%) and is an important factor supporting housing demand.

Possible sign of housing market activity stabilisingThe number of mortgages approved to fi nance house purchase – a leading indicator of completed house sales – increased in November following six successive monthly falls, according to Bank of England industry-wide fi gures. The number of approvals, at 48,000, was the highest since July on a seasonally adjusted basis. Approvals were 19% lower than a year earlier – 59,000 in November 2009 – due to the ending of the stamp duty holiday on properties between £125,000 and £175,000 at the end of 2009, which boosted the number of approvals during the last part of that year.

(Statistics taken from the Halifax House Price Index December 2010)

Climate change: Cancún Agreements will not increase pressure on vehicle operators to reduce emissions

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CLIENTSPACKING

The BAR Services pick and pack service is the perfect solution for your customers who require packaging materials in advance of their move.

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pickandpack.indd 1 18/1/11 12:41:45


Industry News

21

The incidence of drugs among drivers injured or killed in road accidents is in the range of 14% to 17%, according to a

new report published by the International Transport Forum, a transport think tank at The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Cannabis and benzodiazepines top the list of drugs involved in lethal motor accidents, according to the study.

Based on road-side tests, surveys and questionnaires from 16 countries, the new report ‘Drugs and Driving: Detection and Deterrence’ highlights alarming facts regarding drug use by motorists:• The prevalence of drug use by drivers in North America now rivals or exceeds that of drivers who have been drinking; • Of over 500 high school students surveyed in Canada, 19.7% admitted to driving within an hour of using cannabis; • 27% of over 3,400 drivers killed in road accidents in Australia had some form of drug in their body system. In 14% of cases it was cannabis; • In a study of injured drivers in France, 14% of drivers also tested positive for cannabis; • Drugs were found in over 40% of injured drivers in two groups tested in the Netherlands.

The risk of accidents increases dramatically when drugs are combined with even a small

amount of alcohol. Unlike alcohol, drugs mean many different substances – illegal as well as prescription medication. Applying a common standard such as blood alcohol concentration is therefore diffi cult. A policy of ‘zero tolerance’ can target illegal drugs, but not legal medication.

“There is not one drug with one effect, but multiple drugs with multiple effects on the human body,” explained Jack Short, Secretary General of the International Transport Forum, on the presentation of the report. “Both illicit substances and prescribed medicine are involved. Current drink-driving measures and legislation do not take this into account.”

Among the policy recommendations made by the report are: • To seek international consensus on key substances that pose a risk to road safety; • To establish a list of potentially impairing substances and label them with a warning; • To focus on road safety rather than the prosecution of drug users; • To train enforcement personnel in detecting signs and symptoms of drug use; • To engage in more research on drugs and driving to ensure that policies are evidence-based.

The drugs and driving issue is moving up the policy agenda in many countries. A major EU-funded research project called DRUID (Driving

under the Infl uence of Drugs, Alcohol and Medicines) is currently being carried out across Europe. In the US, the National Highway Traffi c Safety Administration is planning a large-scale study to examine the risks associated with driving after drug use. The results of these projects will contribute greatly to an increased understanding of the issues involved and help establish public policy along with enforcement and prevention measures.

The executive summary of ‘Drugs and Driving: Detection and Deterrence’ can be downloaded from www.internationaltransportforum.org.

The Employment Rights (Increase of Limits) Order 2010 is to introduce and increase the maximum compensation

limits which the Employment Tribunals have the power to award from 1 February, 2011.

The limits are usually reviewed annually if not twice a year, to take into account infl ation and invariably increases are usually made. This has, however, not been the case since October 2009 with the limits having been frozen due to the economic climate. Given the introduction of this Order the following are the changes which are likely to affect your business on a day to day basis:

Maximum Weekly Pay As you may be aware, when determining awards such as compensation for wrongful dismissal, the basic award of unfair dismissal and payments for redundancy pay, the Employment Tribunal have a prescript formula, which includes the provision of a week’s pay and in most cases this is multiplied by the number of years service. The maximum weekly wage which the Tribunal can apply to this formula has, since October 2009, been £380.00. Following the reform this has been increased to £400.00. For instance, this will affect the

maximum redundancy payment which an employee may receive which will increase from £11,400 to £12,000.

Compensatory Award The Employment Rights (Increase of Limits) Order 2010 has also increased the maximum amount of compensation for unfair dismissal that an employee may receive from £65,300 to £68,400. This, including the increase to the maximum weekly pay, means that the overall liability which may face an employer in the event that an employee has been unfairly dismissed will be increased from £76,700 to £80,400. It is important to note that in many cases compensation for unfair dismissal will not reach such limits, however it is open for the Tribunal to award such an amount. Whilst the introduction of this legislation will increase many other possible compensation limits the above are the most common, and as employers you are more likely to be affected by the above changes. It is particularly important for those employers considering redundancies to take into account the changes to the possible redundancy payment, which are unlikely to be insignifi cant particularly when making a number of redundancies.

Number of tribunals trebles in fi ve years

The number of tribunals has trebled in just fi ve years following their ruthless exploitation by greedy workers and lawyers, business chiefs said recently.

The increase in claims means three out of fi ve cases end with the employer paying off the worker to save the cost and embarrassment of a full-blown tribunal case.

One manager at a leading charity said the tribunal system has become ‘legalised extortion’. The complaints of abuse, backed by two of the biggest employer organisations in the country, come against a background of record numbers of tribunal claims. Last year there were 236,000 claims, up 50% – and nearly three times the number from just fi ve years ago.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) released a report which said it typically costs a fi rm £8,500 to defend a case at a tribunal, but only £5,400 to settle it by paying off the worker who complained.

The BCC and the Confederation of British Industry have called for radical reforms to tribunal laws. They want to see anyone who brings a claim of wrongful dismissal or discrimination to be made to pay a fee, to discourage spurious cases. They also called for the great majority of cases to be settled by negotiation rather than by a tribunal with expensive lawyers.

Helen Giles, Human Resources Director of the homeless charity Broadway, told BBC Radio Four’s Today programme: “What was set up in the 1960s to protect us from bad employers has become legalised extortion. It’s easy and costs nothing for an employee to cook up a claim.”

Compensation limits on tribunal awards increased

Courtesy of Backhouse Jones Solicitors. Visit www.backhouses.co.uk for more information.

Drugs and driving: new international study


BAR News

In the past the BAR President has been selected from the membership. The President has always been an owner, director or

senior manager of a member company chosen for his or her experience in the industry. In future, however, BAR wishes to open up the opportunity of being Vice President and then President to a wider group of people within the Association and is seeking applications of interest from experienced individuals within member companies.

The Vice President of BAR assists and deputises for the President as necessary. In addition the duties include: developing and maintaining good relations with all elements of the Association, and in particular with Areas and members: visiting all active Areas: and attending the principle business meetings and social sessions at the BAR annual conference.

The Vice Presidency is for a term of two years after which the Vice President will become the President for a further two years. The President’s main functions are: to act as chairman of the Board of Directors and of Executive Committee; to guide the development of policy and strategy of the Association; to exercise leadership in the motivation of the Board and of members; to act as ambassador of the Association and to portray the BAR as an efficient, disciplined, professional body both internally and externally; and to help develop and maintain good relations with all elements of the Association, and in particular with Areas and members. Additional responsibilities for the President include: supporting and defending policies and programmes adopted by the Board of Directors; chairing the Annual General Meeting and any other General Meetings; attending all meetings of the Remuneration and Conference Committees and any other committee or task group meetings as he/she sees fit; attending all principal business meetings and social sessions

at the annual conference; preparation of the Annual Report for inclusion in the Annual Review; and being a non-executive director of BAR Services Ltd.

Ian Studd is the current BAR Vice President. He said that, before he considered accepting the nomination he researched what the role included and how much time it would take out of his working life. “I am spending a lot of time in the dealings of the Association, in attending Area meetings as well as of course Board meetings and Executive Committee meetings. The term of office is over two years so the pressure to attend all of the Area meetings within a shorter space of time is not as intense as it used to be prior to the governance review when the term was over a one year cycle. The role also includes being involved in the delivery of the strategies determined at Board through inclusion in various sub-committees such as the criteria review group, the governance review group and the conference committee. What I would certainly suggest to anyone considering submitting an application is to make sure that they do so with the full support of their own business (either owner or MD). I certainly could not commit the time that I do

without having that support from my Chairman and Board of Directors at Harrow Green.”

Despite the time commitment Ian said that he is finding the role very rewarding and really enjoys being ‘in the thick of things’, and especially getting to meet so many people that he might not otherwise have the opportunity to meet. “I certainly try to make myself as available as possible to the membership as I also think it hugely important that they get to know the next President (and he to know them) in advance of his term of office.”

Reg Hackworthy is the current BAR President. He’s been in the job for around nine months and says that he is thoroughly enjoying the experience. “It’s given me the opportunity to meet more people and have an influence on BAR,” he said. “People often ask me what I want to achieve as BAR President. But it’s not about me. My job is to use my experience to help guide the Board. I don’t have the final say.”

Asked about the time he has had to devote to BAR business Reg said that he doubt whether it represents more than a few hours a week. There are the BAR meetings and the conference that he must attend however, in many cases he would have been attending them anyway, just not as President.

The thinking behind the idea of opening up the Presidency to volunteers rather than waiting for nominations is to encourage people who have the necessary experience but might not necessarily be already serving BAR in an official capacity. It also allows people to put their names forward if they have previously declined the role of Vice President and would now like to reconsider.

If you currently work for a BAR member company and are interested in exploring the possibility of becoming Vice President, please contact Stephen Vickers at BAR for an initial chat and more information.

Search for a Vice PresidentBAR is on the lookout for a new Vice President to take over the role from 2012: it’s a role that naturally leads on to the presidency of BAR.

Reg Hackworthy is the current BAR President. He’s been in the job for around nine months and says that he is thoroughly enjoying the experience.

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BAR News

The company has been supplying the handy Moverkit for many years but members are often unaware of its alternative direct

delivery service that allows you to pick exactly what your customer needs.

There is no doubt that the BAR Services Moverkit is an invaluable product and it is one of the company’s best sellers. However, as a static kit with a fixed quantity of packaging materials, it may not include some of the packaging required for specialist items. For example, your customer may be a keen antiques collector and require acid free tissue to protect some precious silver candlesticks. They may own a small apartment but be a wine connoisseur so the 10 Pack 6s supplied in the medium Moverkit simply may not be enough to pack up their wine collection. This is where the BAR Services pick and pack service should be the next phone call you make.

It really is straightforward, simply provide the BAR Services sales team with a delivery address and your customer’s exact requirements and then pick and choose the materials and quantity required. The materials will be couriered on a two-day service for a small delivery charge of between £10-£15. Deliveries can be made throughout the UK but members should bear in mind that a carriage quote may need to be obtained for larger quantities or deliveries to northern Scotland.

At various times in the past few years, BAR Services has been advising members to promote this service to their customers and the message is getting through as more and more removal

companies are seeing the benefits of offering this service. But for those of you who still think ‘why?’ the following reasons may convince you.

With many high street shops, eBay and other Internet companies supplying cartons and packaging materials, the removal industry needs to fight and claim this business back. Companies such as Argos have jumped on the band wagon and currently sell inferior quality moving packs at inflated prices. This is a major problem for the removal industry as it takes away some extra potential revenue and profit. Your customer needs to know that they can have a quick delivery of exactly what they need, at a fraction of the cost and in a quality that will protect their cherished possessions to a standard acceptable in the removal industry.

Ensuring your customer’s move is as easy and stress free as possible is an important element of the service provided by removal companies. BAR Services is always keen to take some of the pressure away from the members and by using its pick and pack service the speed and efficiency of your company will improve and subsequently so will customer satisfaction. So whether you are based in Edinburgh, Manchester or Plymouth and your customer is 200 miles away, you can still provide them with quality materials so that they can begin packing within 48 hours.

If you require any further information regarding this service, please contact the sales team at BAR Services on 01342 870087 or e-mail [email protected] for further information.

The Multipack Range

Product of the Month

BAR Services Ltd, Moor Hall, Sandhawes Hill, East Grinstead, Sussex RH19 3HQ Tel: 01342 870087 Fax: 01342 870072 E-mail: [email protected]

Packing for an overseas move is a specialist skill requiring specialist materials. Finding an effective and reliable means of protection during overseas shipments is a must for removal companies who provide an international moving service.

BAR Services currently provide a strong and versatile range of shipping cartons known as the Multipack Range that can fulfil these requirements. Manufactured in a strong, double wall carton, this self assembly system offers four components providing a choice of combinations for protection during shipment. The popular Pack 2 Sleeve contains a half way crease that enables the sleeve to hold

either 4 or 8 Pack IIs, depending on your need. A smaller Pack 3 sleeve, capable of holding 4 x Pack 3s, is also available in the range and both the Pack 2 and 3 sleeve are held together with a heavy duty tray and cap. The system is completed with a heat treated pallet which conforms to export standards.

For a quotation based on your actual requirements or for further details on any other products in the packaging range simply contact the BAR Services sales team on (01342) 870087 or e-mail [email protected].

BAR Services delivers directly to your customer’s doorWith its pick and pack service becoming more widely used by the members, BAR Services thought it should remind those who may not be aware of this money-making, hassle free opportunity.

The BAR Services pick and pack service allows customers to request specific packing materials


BAR News

The BAR Board of Directors comprises twelve members, who meet formally three times a year. Three of these Directors are

elected directly by the membership at large and they are known, as a result, as the Directly Elected Directors. This innovation was made in 2008 to strengthen the democratic structure of the Association, and to provide a more direct channel of communication between the members and the Board than had existed up to then. The Directly Elected Directors took up their appointment at the AGM in May 2009, and as the term of office is two years, the three posts are to be filled afresh in time for the AGM this year.

In addition, under the revised Articles of Association of the two BAR subsidiary

companies, BAR (Services) Ltd and QSS Ltd, members of their respective Board of Directors retire by rotation each year. Accordingly, there are two further vacancies as a member of the Board of each company, elected by the Membership. Again, these need to be filled in time for the BAR AGM in May.

During the week commencing 14 February, 2011 each Member company will receive a request to nominate representatives of Members for these important posts, either as Directly Elected Directors on the BAR Board, or as members of the BAR(S) or QSS Boards. Please give this request your full attention, and ensure that any nominations, in accordance with the guidance that will be provided at the time, are received by the deadline of 28 February. Once all valid nominations are received, the company secretary will hold an electronic ballot of the membership during the course of March to see who should serve. The results will be announced at the end of March.

In the meantime, any questions on the role of the Directors, the time commitment involved, and the procedure to be followed in their election, should be addressed to the company secretary at [email protected].

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Directly Elected Directors The power of advertising

In the December 2010 issue of R&S Matt Purdie of Matt Purdie & Sons advertised two vehicles for sale in the ‘Classifieds’ section of the magazine. Within

an hour of the R&S dropping through people’s doors both vehicles had been sold with Matt having three enquiries for one vehicle and six enquiries for the other.

Matt said, “I thought it would be useful to let people know what a great medium this is for selling vehicles. I know it works as I sold a vehicle about a year ago as we only keep our vehicles for a maximum of ten years, but even I was surprised how quickly these sold and how many times over I could have sold them. One disappointed caller said that he wished he’d read his R&S as soon as it arrived instead of putting it aside for later.”

If you’re interested in advertising then drop a line to rands@thewords workshop.co.uk for information and prices.


BAR News

And join it she did, however not before studying in Madrid and trying her hand at running a tapas bar in Leeds.

Now working within the family business, John Mason International, Caroline explains that it has always felt as though the removals industry was engrained in her from day one. “It has been a part of my life since I was a child. I remember going to the offi ce and to conferences from a really young age. I would also work for the company in school holidays, fi ling and answering phones.”

Although Caroline enjoyed working within the industry she was keen to experience what else the world had to offer and so went to the

Caroline MasonFor Caroline Mason, daughter of the late and sorely missed Paul Mason, it was perhaps destined that she would join the removals industry.

Young mover profi le

University of Leeds where she studied Business Management and Spanish. “The course included a year abroad, so I went to Madrid where I studied Economics and Business for a year.”

It was thanks to this year abroad and her love of the Spanish culture that Caroline’s career took a different direction to the expected path into removals. “When I was in Spain I used to love the Montadito bars, which are basically tapas bars. My friends and I always used to talk about how great it would be to open one in Headingly which is the student area of Leeds.” And that is exactly what Caroline did.

However, she soon discovered that the catering business was not her calling and closed the business seven months in. She said, “I enjoyed the catering business but I eventually realised that moving is where my heart is. I’m glad I experienced a different industry and broadened my horizons, but I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else now.”

Having picked up a basic knowledge of the industry almost through osmosis, Caroline was keen to develop this knowledge and since joining the company has attended the FIDI Academy, numerous sales training courses and, of course, events organised by the Young Movers Group. “These have all been really helpful,” she said. “I have also had the opportunity to work with and learn from all of the departments within the company which has helped me understand all aspects of the business.” Now, as John Mason International’s Project Coordinator, Caroline is involved with various projects across all departments including sales and web development.

Caroline admits that her family ties to the industry have been advantageous to her when networking, however she believes that being completely new to the industry also has its advantages. “It seems to me that people joining the industry without family links often have the advantage of a fresh outlook and approach which can help businesses grow.”

“I’ve found everyone I’ve met to be welcoming and happy that there are new faces joining the industry,” she continued. “I think people might

perceive the industry to be a tightly knit club because there are a lot of long-standing friendships and relationships in the industry, but this doesn’t stop the majority of people being positive about welcoming new people.”

So, as the industry continues to embrace the new generation, does Caroline believe that a group like the Young Movers Group to be of benefi t? “I think the Young Movers Group is a fantastic idea. It has a really good balance between offering the opportunity to meet new people and develop friendships and providing genuinely useful training. It seems to have a clear purpose.”

A good example of this balance is a recent event held at BAR’s headquarters. Caroline recalls, “The day was really varied, with talks and lectures from people in the industry and then a murder mystery event at the end of the day.” It’s not all work and no play you know!

With the industry previously being a little slow in coming forward when it comes to new technology, it would seem the younger generation are encouraging the old timers to accept the new and move forward more quickly. Caroline believes this will continue and that new, more modern processes will replace the older, tired systems.

Caroline also has clear views on where she sees the future of the industry as a whole. “In the future, improved transport links around the world could mean migration becomes more common. Demographic research shows that, as the UK becomes more overcrowded, more and more people will start to move to areas with a lot of open space and natural resources like Australia. This is obviously where international moving companies will be able to prosper.”

As the fi fth generation of Masons to work within John Mason International, Caroline is entirely dedicated to the future of the company. “My principal ambition is to grow and develop John Mason International and to expand the company in the future.” And, with ambitions such as this there is little doubt that the business will continue to be a great success under the new generation of movers.

The Yorkshire Area hosted its annual dinner on Saturday 20 November, 2010 at the Ambassador Hotel, Scarborough with 66

guests from across the country. Some of the guests arrived on Friday to make a weekend of the event, meeting to discuss the much improved year that 2010 had proved to be, however there were still some worries for the year ahead.

The evening kicked off, as with any BAR event, in the bar with lots of like-minded souls looking forward to the evening ahead. Many of the companies represented were using the night as their Christmas party which boded well.

The evening then continued in the newly refurbished Bronte Suite with a presentation from Colin Crooks of Green-Works who talked about the similarity between the Victorian philanthropists that were responsible for the grandeur on show around Scarborough and the current trend for companies to demonstrate their corporate responsibilities, whether it be environmental, charitable or social. He struck a chord when telling a story of a school in Sierra Leone that only had three books. Colin, having visited the school, managed to obtain 1000 books and offered them to the school; amazingly they

refused them. Why? Sierra Leone is one of the wettest countries in Africa and as the school didn’t have a roof the books would be pulp within a matter of weeks. Colin has since sent some steel fi ling cabinets along with the books and the school now has 1003 books and many happy children; that’s making a difference.

Following Colin, everyone enjoyed a wonderful meal with wine supplied from Area funds and then the dancing started; a great time was had by all and most guests asked if they could book for next year there and then. The hotel has been reserved for 26 November, 2011 and surprisingly the hotel has held its rates from last year.

The Yorkshire Area thanks all the guests who travelled from out of Area and hopes to see them and others at the 2011 event.

Yorkshire Area dinner

Entry FeesEach Regional Event£50.00 (+vat) per person.

The Finals at Portal£95.00 (+vat) perperson.

Individual Competitions�� Nearest the Pin�� Longest Drive

There will be a charity collection for the RBA at each event.

................................... ...........................................

‘BAR Annual Golf Challenge 2011’

The ‘BAR Annual Golf Challenge’ is back! In Association with:

The ‘BAR Annual Golf Challenge’ is back!

REGIONAL EVENTSMarriott Worsley Park Country Club, ManchesterThursday 12 May 2011

�� First Tee-off: Mid Morning�� Last day of booking: 02 May 2011�� ONLY 36 places available

��Thursday 26 May 2011

�� First Tee-off: Mid Morning�� Last day of booking: 16 May 2011�� ONLY 24 places available

Tea, coffee and snacks are included at both regional ��Park (directly with hotel, quoting ‘BAR Golf Day’).

THE FINALSPortal Golf & Country Club, CheshireThursday 15 September 2011

�� Lunch and presentation dinner included�� Last date for bookings:�� 01 September 2011 (subject to availability)�� Web: www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/theportal/golf

.......................................................................

All BAR members are invited to take part in the BAR Golf Challenge 2011 sponsored by Basil Fry & Company. The qualifying events will be played at two UK prestigious golf courses - Worsley ��Club.

In addition the winning Conference attendee atthe Worsley Park regional event will receive an extra competition prize!

The top eight members from each region will go through to compete for the Basil Fry Trophy at��Now in the fourth year of the competition, the ��Association Challenge - currently held by BAR.

Places are strictly limited! So don’t miss out on ��

For further details, please email:[email protected]

For full Terms & Conditions and to book online, please visit:www.bar.co.uk/golf2011.aspx

Golf2011Master.indd 1 07/12/2010 09:51:07


CMG News

BS 8522

But as is often the case it has humble beginnings starting as a typewriter repair company in Dublin. As the electronic age

kicked in so the typewriters were kicked out and the company changed focus into the office equipment and furniture business and expanded into the UK mainland in the early 1980s.

Chris Lansbury is the company’s director today and he explained that it was an easy transition from dealing in furniture to handling commercial relocations. “When we were delivering office furniture people would say ‘While you’re here could you just …’ and the company was born.” Unusually, although the MJF Group is very diverse – handling leading furniture brands, design and build, data management and security - it has never diversified within the removals side of the business. The company does no domestic removal work, it’s purely commercial. That said, it does currently hold the framework agreement for HMRC, probably one of the largest pieces of business in the UK moving industry, so obviously its specialisation has paid off.

To provide the flexibility of approach necessary to handle large contracts MJF operates through a strong network of service partners in the UK to provide labour and equipment. “We engage in excess of over 100 employees most days,” explained Chris, “and 20-30 vehicles. The network gives us the ability to expand and

contract as we need to, which is an absolute requirement. One week we might need 30-40 staff per day, the next week we could need over 100, anywhere in the country.”

Quality is controlled through a strict and actively enforced service level agreement, supported by MJF’s in-house training for all supervisors from partner companies. Chris said that the process to become part of the MJF network is quite onerous, which might put some companies off. “But once they become a service partner we are certain they find it worthwhile; a number of them have been with MJF for more than 15 years.”

The company operates a top down approach to its business, working with its clients right from the start to plan moves and space utilisation. It is also very proud to operate to internationally-recognised Standards: BS EN 8522, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 (the environmental standard) and ISO 18001 (health and safety) all of which have been achieved since Chris joined the company in 2008. “All of these accreditations add genuine value to our business, but we feel ISO 18001 is paramount in the office environment.”

MJF has been a CMG member for around five years. It joined to improve its profile within the industry as it felt that it lacked recognition having come to commercial relocations from something of a side entrance. “We were known as a furniture supplier and the commercial moving

CMG Profile:MJF – strength from diversityCMG member MJF Business Services Limited, part of the MJF Group founded by Michael J Flood is, today, one of the leading commercial moving organisations in the UK.

Left: Andi George, a member of the MJF sales team and Steve Mclaughlin from client delivery

market didn’t know about us,” said Chris.“We rarely get requests on tenders for CMG

membership but we do always point out to clients that they should be selecting only from CMG members to ensure quotations are like for like. Companies often ask us for advice on the design of their tender documents and we always say they should require contractors to be BS EN 8522.”

Chris has been a strong supporter of CMOTY for many years both with MJF and previous employers. His company is currently the holder of a CMOTY Certificate of Merit. Although Chris feels that entering the competition and not winning is of little commercial benefit it does, at least, allow him to benchmark his company against other CMG members. “It’s an indicator to us of how we are doing in the marketplace.”

Although MJF has not been represented at the annual conference for some years Chris is a supporter of the conference and fully intends to attend this year in Manchester.

The most recent investment for the company has been the construction of a data management warehouse in east London. Through acquisition MJF Group also operates a rapidly growing security guarding division providing its clients with premises security. Chris said that data protection is very important to his customers. “These investments have helped us by providing an internal resource to help us look at our systems and how we deliver our service to the client. It’s helping us develop our service into a more secure environment for clients’ ever more demanding data protection needs.”

Data protection is just the latest hot requirement from clients following health and safety and environmental issues. MJF Business Services, through its MJF RecyClear brand, was also a pioneer in the reuse and recycling of office contents to make sure that everything is seen through right to the end of its life. “This is what clients demand nowadays to keep in line with their CSR and environmental policies.”

Asked about the future Chris is feeling positive. He’s recently increased his staff requirement to start meeting the demand that the company expects. The diversification of the company and its business model helps to insulate it from the ups and downs of economic cycles. “The opportunities are out there and we have our fingers crossed for 2011,” he said.

Harrow Green has announced its continuing sponsorship into 2011 of a series of master classes and workshops

for new and existing managers in the facilities management profession.

The six events are organised by the Rising FMs Special Interest Group of the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM). They will provide a series of stimulating

professional development sessions aimed at new entrants to the FM profession and for anyone seeking to progress their careers within facilities management, regardless of age or experience.

The master classes and workshops will run throughout 2011. They will centre around practical and informative presentations on some of the challenges FM professionals will meet in their roles – tendering, negotiating

service level agreements and key performance indicators, quality management and running an office refit project. In addition and by popular demand, there will be a ‘special event’ on Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) in the workplace given by Anne Lennox-Martin.

Full details of all the master classes will be posted on the BIFM website, under the events section: www.bifm.org.uk/bifm/events.

Master classes and workshops for rising FMs

The Professional Advisers Panel is a brand new initiative specifically designed to offer members extended support across every aspect of their business. This is a development of our highly successful Insurance Broker Panel scheme whereby BAR members receive unlimited support, guidance and advice from qualified specialist co

specialist companies within the UK. We are constantly looking at ways to support our members’ businesses; therefore, if this initiative proves to be a success, we will develop the Professional Advisers Panel even further into other relevant areas such as Health & Safety and Environmental services.

For any independent insurance, financial or legal advice, please contact a BAR Professional Adviser partner.

Financial Legal

Insurance

Basil Fry & Co Ltd

Tel: 01372 385 985Email: [email protected]: www.basilfry.co.uk

Reason Global Insurance

Tel: 01273 739961Email: [email protected]: www.reason-global.com

Wellers

Tel: 0207 630 6665Email: [email protected]: www.wellersaccountants.co.uk

Backhouse Jones Solicitors

Tel: 01254 828 300Email: [email protected]: www.backhousejones.co.uk

in association with


Overseas Group News

Although Ian is the OSG chairman his company is not only focused on the overseas market. Yes around half its work

is international, both migrant and corporate, but the other half is domestic removals performed through the company’s 17 offices throughout the country.

One subject that Ian feels very strongly about is the overseas commitment to the BAR conference. It wasn’t long ago that the conference was enthusiastically attended by visitors from all over the world. Today, however, the overseas involvement seems to have shrunken to a dedicated core. “I understand the reasons for the change,” said Ian. “International work nowadays is largely controlled by the large relocation companies and large American operators. On the face of it that means there’s less to gain by attending a conference such as BAR.”

But it’s not as simple as that. The moving industry, domestic or international, has already been intensely reliant on the people within it and the relationships they share. Although much traffic might be directed by principals, much is not and, given a choice, shippers will always want to work with friends. “Over the years I have made life-long friendships at conferences all over the world. The BAR conference is no

different. I would like to encourage international affiliates to come and spend a little time with us just as we travel the world to conferences ourselves. The BAR conference is no longer focussed on domestic work, there’s something there for everyone.”

Ian also wants to encourage more of the UK’s OSG members to take part again. “It’s a ‘chicken and egg’ problem. The OSG members say they don’t go because there are fewer international visitors, and vice versa. The trend has been in decline for many years, we just need to reverse it to restore the international side of the conference to its former glory. Maybe it’s for the OSG members to take the initiative and take part themselves and invite their overseas partners. We always really appreciate our partners coming over to support us.”

This year the conference will take on a distinctly international flavour with Lars Lykke Iversen, Chief Executive of Santa Fe, being the keynote speaker. His company has recently acquired Wridgways Australia Ltd. creating one of the world’s largest moving organisations employing 2,100 people out of 71 offices and performing 42,000 relocations a year. “He’s a very interesting man,” said Ian, “and I am sure his speech will not be one to miss whether you are in the international business or not.”

Ian understands, of course, that over the last two years companies would have been paring back costs, as he has had to himself, but perhaps now is the time to have a more positive outlook. He says that his trade has fallen by around one third since 2008 but it’s beginning to return.

Traffic to Australia and New Zealand represent about 40% of White’s international work, with South Africa adding another 25%. Ironically the financial crash has provided a temporary boost to the outbound South African work as many expats were sent home when banks were laying off staff. Migrant work in general has been down due to people not being able to sell their homes or finding themselves in negative equity.

Corporate international work represents around 20% of White’s international business. A recent trend has been for there to be more shipments to Asia and India as the industrial growth in those areas sucks in talent. “But most of the moves are small airfreight consignments for 30-somethings who travel with a kit bag and stay on short-term contracts.” Ian accepts though that this is an expanding market particularly as people become increasingly familiar with the attractions of China, India, Vietnam and Malaysia.

UK domestic work has too taken a dramatic downturn in the last two years and, in common with most companies, Ian had to make some hard decisions. “We went down from 450 staff to about 380 although most went by natural wastage. We’ve always been a very paternal company but we did have to become a little more disciplined during the downturn.” Ian also mothballed some of his 200+ vehicles, a decision that, with hindsight, he’s not sure was entirely a good idea. “We made quick savings on tax

InterviewIan Palmer: OSG Chairman and Chief Executive of White & Co

Ian Palmer, Chief Executive of White & Co, the UK’s largest privately owned moving company is the chairman of the BAR Overseas Group. In a recent interview, Steve Jordan asked him some questions about his company, the industry in general and his hopes for the OSG during his period in office.

Overseas Group News


The Shore Porters Society, which specialises in international relocations as well as national moves across the UK, was

approached to assist in the storing and shipping of NHS hospital beds to the Princess Marie Louise hospital in Accra, where beds are desperately needed.

Crane Worldwide who were dealing with the project sub-contracted the storing and delivery of the 18 beds to Shore Porters. The beds were collected from the Inverurie hospital and stored at the company’s storage facility in Aberdeen

from March until everything was in place for them to be shipped to Ghana.

Colin Davidson, Overseas Removal Manager of Shore Porters said, “We have a close business relationship with Crane Worldwide and our BAR membership proves us to be a professional outfit that they can trust with this sort of job.”

He continued, “When we were approached to help with this project we were only too happy to get on board. The beds were more challenging to ship than your everyday cargo but the experience of our crew meant that it went without a hitch.”

The bed donation was organised by Junior Chamber International Aberdeen, the worldwide federation of young leaders and entrepreneurs, in conjunction with Portlethen-based oil services company, AkerQserv.

Left to right: Ian Wyness, Removal Driver; Colin Davidson, Overseas Removal Manager and David Rothnie, Removal Driver

Shore Porters aids Ghana’s sick children

remover, will complete the work under the same terms and conditions. It is unique in the world and we must be sure to continue to use it to reassure our customers, especially during times of financial uncertainty.”

Running one of the UK’s largest moving companies is a full-time job at any time; during times of difficult trading it’s even more demanding. But, despite his obvious commitment to his own company, Ian is enthusiastic about the BAR Overseas Group. He recognises that it has become less high profile than in the past, especially at conference, and is determined to do what he can to make amends. But to do so he will need the help of all OSG members and international affiliates around the world. “Although I have a lot of friends around the world, we want people to come to the BAR conference for more than just friendship. We want to offer them real value both in terms of the conference content and the networking opportunities. So far, the Manchester conference this May is right on track.”

and insurance but had to pay heavily when we recommissioned the vehicles. Four months off the road often means that batteries are ruined and brakes locked solid. If I had to make the decision again I might prefer to keep them all running and rotate their use.”

Despite the downturn Ian said that domestic moving is still important to Whites. “But it’s still all over the place. We’ve had to be more creative: we’ve tried to develop things by offering to store while extensions are done; we’ve returned to the old promotional tactic of hand billing houses for sale; offered free storage to help free up chains; actively canvassed for work from schools, the police and housing associations; and have had to drop our prices to secure work that we might not have gone for during busier times.” But the effort has paid off. Although the recession in the UK is not long over, Ian’s workforce has now returned to normal and the vehicles are all back on the road. In fact he has 18 new vehicles on order, some already with the bodybuilders, for delivery before October this year. Ian is very positive about the future.

For 30 years or more Whites has provided a trade groupage service for its key migrant destinations. It also offers regular groupage services to Majorca, where it has an office, Minorca and Ibiza. It also serves islands closer to home: the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands from its receiving depot in Portsmouth, and the Isle of Man from Lancaster. In fact Whites is the only moving company that has professionally managed offices and warehouses on both Guernsey and Jersey to which it runs a daily service from the mainland. “We offer a free collection service anywhere in the UK or moving companies can deliver to any of our depots,” Ian explained.

The company also provides an FCL shipping service to BAR companies that wish to pack and load their own containers on site. Many companies have the skills to pack and load a shipment but are not familiar with export documentation and do not have access to competitive shipping rates. For these companies Whites will place a container, do the paperwork, organise the shipment and even appoint a destination agent if required. “We know that many people like to support their local moving company even for international work. This allows even the smallest local company to provide a reliable international service,” said Ian.

There is one other area of Ian’s work as OSG chairman that is causing him concern: IMMI. After over 30 years of providing the only advance payment guarantee system in existence, IMMI is just as relevant as it ever was, Ian believes. However he is concerned that it might be considered to be of less value today as most private customers pay by credit card and, therefore, get payment protection automatically. “But people forget that IMMI is a ‘completion of service’ guarantee. It does much more than give the customers their money back. IMMI requires nothing of the customer but makes sure that another OSG company, a sympathetic

Friends (or customers) in high places –Top: White & Co handled the moving of a high ranking corporate official from Windsor Castle in 2009;Centre: Another royal move (though we’re not allowed to say who), this time from Edinburgh Castle last year;Bottom: How White & Co’s vehicles used to look


Overseas Group News

The theme for this year’s Annual Conference is ‘Moving Forward’ and that is just what the Overseas Group will be

doing in 2011 and beyond. Over the past few years the Overseas Group has been under-represented at the annual conference for a number of reasons, resulting in the number of overseas visitors declining and the group as a whole not having a voice.

The Overseas Group is committed to ‘Moving Forward’ and not just with shipping matters. The Council therefore took the decision to become more active and prominent within BAR and it is now time to put the Overseas Group at the forefront of membership.

This will start with a more open and upfront approach, making the group more visible and accessible to fellow and prospective members.

To start the ball rolling the Overseas Council appointed Tony Tickner as the new Overseas Group representative on the Conference Committee. Tony has been in the industry for 22 years and has spent 18 years attending overseas moving conventions. He was therefore best placed to take that knowledge to the BAR Conference Committee. Tony was tasked in actively involving the Overseas Group at the BAR annual conference.

This year, the Overseas Group will sponsor and host the welcome evening at the 2011 conference in Manchester. Members of the Overseas Group will be on hand to meet and greet, answer any questions you may have at the start of what will be an exciting and informative conference weekend.

A major part of the conference is the trade exhibition, not only is it a medium for exhibitors to showcase new products and services it provides good networking opportunities. Part of the exhibition hall will, for the fi rst time, feature a dedicated networking area, proudly sponsored by Overseas Group member Pickfords. It will provide a focal point to meet and chat with colleagues both old and new. The Overseas Group is also proud to host the Partners’ and International Associates Tour

through the historic canals of Manchester. The business programme includes an open

forum led by BAR President Reg Hackworthy. The functional group chairmen will present to the membership an overview of the councils’ and groups’ roles within the Association. Reg will then lead a question and answer session.

To encourage more overseas members to attend the conference, we will be promoting the conference in overseas trade publications, FIDI Focus and FEDEMAC as well as personally inviting a number of guests who represent moving industries overseas. This year’s keynote speaker is Lars Lykke Iversen, Chief Executive Offi cer of International Associate Santa Fe Group.

For the Overseas Group this is just the start and we have already begun working on a new and exciting agenda for 2012.

The BAR Conference 2011 will be a fantastic event and we, the Overseas Group, look forward to ‘Moving Forward’ with BAR and welcoming our fellow members and international associates in Manchester.

For further conference details and to book online, please visit www.bar.co.uk/conference 2011.aspx.

Moving Forward’ in support of BAR by Tony Tickner

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Training News

The BAR Young Movers group met again on Wednesday 17 November, 2010 at BAR headquarters in Watford to enjoy a

day of business seminars, a networking lunch and a quiz together.

The day provided valuable information in the business seminars such as:• The History of the BAR, presented by Robert Ross, BAR Financial Controller;• Packing training mini session, Darren House BAR Young Movers Project Manager; • The Commercial Moving Group, Neil Rogers CMG Deputy Chairman.

It was also a fantastic networking opportunity for the young movers who attended.

Tom Ryan from Ryan’s Removals said it was such a great idea to combine the history of the BAR and information about the Commercial Moving Group as he found that many of the young movers have very little information on these subjects. The Commercial Moving Group presentation was found to be hugely insightful and it very clearly outlined the benefi ts, how to join and the standards and training. This tied in well with the history and background information about the BAR as a lot of BAR Young Movers’ members saw the benefi ts of joining the Commercial Moving Group. It showed to the young people of the BAR how working for a member of the CMG could benefi t them with their professional development and gave new business development ideas. Tom Ryan has attended every Young Movers event and feels that they are of terrifi c value.

The history of the BAR was presented by Robert Ross, BAR Financial Controller. He

The December BARTS Selling Skills course was extremely useful and of great value to the delegates who attended. The course

provided an overview of the sales process and demonstrated how a sound sales strategy, supported by focused selling systems, will help to deliver the profi table revenue stream vital to the success of your business. The course also delivers tips and advice on presentation skills and how to use the BAR OFT Code of Practice to your organisation’s advantage. The following subjects are included with the explanation of the sales process to give a structured approach to follow and adapt to, when dealing with customers:1. Planning2. Prospecting3. Diagnosis4. Presenting5. Proving Capability6. Negotiating7. Closing8. Up-selling and Cross-selling 9. Referrals10. Account Management

The course gives hints and tips for the effective promotion of the BAR OFT Code of Practice to make delegates aware of what the code is, what it means to BAR members and their customers, and how to explain it to customers. It provides particular focus to the benefi ts of the Code for the customer and how to introduce this into conversation in a way that will win business.

Delegates from the December course gave their feedback in the form of testimonials for the course:

“I really enjoyed the course and content and I am looking forward to implementing what I have learnt. It was all very useful.”Rosie Pointer, UTS Bournes

“The course helped to open my eyes about just how important the time spent with the customer actually is. I feel a lot more confi dent going back to my job with many more tools at my disposal.”Stacey Lawrence, Simon Long Removals

“The course was very interesting and informative. It has given me a lot more confi dence and knowledge which I look

forward to putting into practice.”Cameron Ballard, Britannia Beckwith

Stacey Lawrence and Cameron Ballard also joined BARTS for the BARTS Practical Estimating course where they learned the practical skills needed to calculate volume effectively and enhance their inter-personal and selling skills.

The BARTS BTEC Certifi cate in Practical Estimating training course covers the following topics:• Structure of the Industry• Quantity/Volume Assessment • The Role of the Estimator/Surveyor• Health and Safety Legislation• The Estimators Report and Removals Planning and Costing• Communication Skills• Examination Techniques• Contract Conditions• Removals Insurance

Please contact BARTS to reserve a place on either of these valuable skills courses. Call: 01923 699484 or e-mail [email protected].

BARTS update

BAR Young Movers meet again

Left to right: quiz winners Gareth Fosberry, ICM Gerson; Ria Compton, Basil Fry & Co; Tom Ryan, Ryan’s Removals; Melanie Kyriakides, Wentworth International

talked about the way the Association was formed. Young Movers commented that it was good to see that lots of BAR member companies maintain standards over long periods and have developed their businesses and diversifi ed to be able to deal with the changes they have faced. He talked about various BAR positions within the Association and the importance of the various different types of roles.

Darren House presented a mini packing training session, giving hints and tips for effective packing techniques.

Red Recruit provided a light-hearted quiz as a bit of fun to the group and this also proved to be partially educational as the questions were based around the removals industry. This was greatly appreciated by the delegates. Tom won a prize of a bottle of wine as his team scored the highest on the quiz. Tom’s team included Gareth Fosberry from ICM Gerson, Ria Compton from Basil Fry & Co and Melanie Kyriakides from Wentworth International. The prizes were provided and presented to the group by Steve Maples of Red Recruit.

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News RoundupEuropean News

R&S is grateful to FEDEMAC for its contribution to this section

EU website for energy efficient vehiclesThe European Commission has launched a website to help public authorities and consumers choose the best available energy-efficient vehicle. The Clean Vehicle Portal aims to support a new directive promoting clean and energy efficient vehicles. This means all public transport services must now take into account energy use, CO2 and pollutant emissions when buying new vehicles. The site says it gives information on legislation and technical data in the largest vehicle database in Europe. So far its advice seems confined to some cars and vans, minibuses and buses. The Clean Vehicle Portal was developed and managed by the Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation. Clearly its operators have some work still to do, more from www.clean vehicle.eu.

The CV Show 2011The Commercial Vehicle Show returns this April as the only specialist road freight transport exhibition in Europe in 2011. The last Commercial Vehicle Show took place in 2008 when over 28,500 business visitors congregated at the NEC Birmingham for the biggest ever road transport and logistics meeting place. This year’s show takes place between April 12-14 at the NEC Birmingham.

M+S tyres compulsory for GermanyAs of December 2010, all trucks over 3.5 tonnes and buses with more than eight seats must use Mud and Snow (M+S) drive axle tyres on German roads covered with ice, hard-packed snow or slush. This applies to domestic vehicles and foreigners visiting or crossing the country. German tyre-maker Continental welcomed the move saying that it clarified the law by defining which tyres are suitable for winter and when to use them. R&S has learned that vehicles have been impounded and the German authorities have required all their tyres to be changed to M+S before they were allowed to continue.

TRID database: a new international transport resourceThe International Transport Forum (ITF) and the Transportation Research Board (TRB) officially signed a letter of agreement at the TRB Annual Meeting in January announcing a new product called TRID. TRID is a newly integrated database that combines the records from TRB’s Transportation Research Information Services (TRIS) database and the ITF’s International Transport Research Documentation (ITRD) database. TRID will offer one database to locate transport research from around the world; more than 800,000 records will be available in English, French, German or Spanish, the Transportation Research Thesaurus (TRT) as well as the multilingual International Transportation Research Documentation Thesaurus. TRID will be available on the TRB website early next year and the public will have free access.

Dutch survey shows the benefits of winter tyresATS Euromaster says a Dutch survey into road traffic accidents by traffic psychologist Adriaan Heino shows that cars with cold weather tyres were involved in significantly fewer accidents during winter than those which remained on ‘summer’ tyres. ATS says this is convincing evidence that UK fleets would be safer if they fitted cold weather tyres. Heino studied 25,000 insurance claims and found that cars with summer tyres showed a 32% increase in claims over winter, compared with 12% for vehicles with cold weather tyres. The firm says the results are important as the Netherlands has a similar climate to the UK. It was also the last major European country to start fitting winter tyres on a large scale.

European vehicle production up 15% over nine months in 2010The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) has reported that vehicle production in the EU rose by 15% in the first nine months of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009. Passenger car production increased by 13% reflecting a drop of 5% in the third quarter in correlation with the softening momentum in the global economy. Production levels in the segment of vans expanded in all three quarters of 2010. The segment of trucks started to show signs of recovery only in the second quarter, when production increased by 57%, and continued this trend in the third quarter when new truck registrations also began to be positive again.

VOSA consults on test bookingsThe Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) aims to improve the way commercial vehicle tests are booked at its testing stations, giving a better service to the industry. It wants bookings to be made online or by phone, rather than the mix of fax, e-mail, phone or over the counter bookings at test stations. It also wants payment by debit or credit cards or through a prefunded account. The new system would mean that customers could check available dates at any VOSA test station, get immediate confirmation and make secure payments. The plan won’t change the booking system for tests at Authorised Test Facilities and Designated Premises. The consultation is open until 9 March, 2011 and is available at www.vosa.gov.uk/consultationpapers.

Stricter anti-smoking rules now in force in SpainA tough anti-smoking law came into effect in Spain on 2 January, 2011. The ban - one of the strictest in Europe - outlaws smoking in all bars and restaurants. Smokers will also be prohibited on television broadcasts, near hospitals or in school playgrounds. The law tightens anti-smoking restrictions that were introduced in 2006 which outlawed smoking in the workplace but let bar and restaurant owners choose whether or not to allow it.


Do you have any news? If you have please send it to: The Editor, Steve Jordan, Removals & Storage, The Words Workshop Ltd, 26 Swanwick Lane, Broughton, Milton Keynes, Bucks MK10 9LDTel: 01908 695500 Fax: 01908 690099 Email: [email protected]

European News

The concession has significantly reduced the administrative burden on importers of household goods. Without it, international

movers would have had to lodge the ENS declaration using the CN codes in respect of every single type of household item listed on the inventory. This would have been a mammoth task and totally impractical.

The actual wording of the entry in the Official Journal of the European Union said: In certain circumstances, taking into account the special nature of some of the movements of goods mentioned in regulation (EC) number 1186/2009, it seems appropriate to reduce the administrative burden when declaring such movements, by assigning them a specific CN

code. It is the case, in particular, when the classification of each type of goods in a movement for the purpose of drawing up the customs declaration would entail a workload and expense disproportionate to the interests at stake.

The report goes on to explain exactly what type of goods are included and may, therefore, be described as ‘Chapter 99’. This included: • Personal property belonging to natural persons transferring their normal place of residence;• Trousseaux and household effects belonging to a person transferring his or her normal place of residence on the occasion of his or her marriage; personal property acquired by inheritance;• School outfits, educational materials and

HHG now included as ‘Chapter 99’ on ENSOn the 21 December, 2010 the EU Commission published confirmation that it would, from 1 January, 2011, be acceptable to insert ‘Chapter 99’ in place of the four-digit CN (Combined Nomenclature) on ENS (Electronic Summary Declaration) entries.

The project was an initiative of the PLATINA project and was designed as a platform for helping to implement the European

inland navigation programme NAIADES. The project aims to promote inland waterway transport and brings together 22 partners from nine European countries. It is funded with euro 8.5 million from the European Commission.

Hilde Bollen, of Promotie Binnenvaart Vlaanderen led the conference organising team of European partners involved in PLATINA, and said, “This is the first time inland navigation has showcased itself to the public in such a way. Inland waterway transportation provides integrated solutions and this conference was just such an integrated solution. We successfully showcased the fact that we are the perfect mode for all kind of products and goods, offer cutting edge technology, are cost efficient and play an effective role in integrated logistics networks and supply chains.”

Barge to Business was opened by European Commission Vice President Siim Kallas who reiterated the immense possibilities inland waterway transport in Europe offers for sustainable supply chain management. He outlined his vision for a future transport network in Europe in which transport is a fully integrated and seamless system composed of safe and secure transport modes, high-quality services and infrastructure, promoting innovation and the competence of the industry, caring for its passengers, customers and employed professionals.

Kallas reflected on the success of the NAIADES action plan and its implementation platform PLATINA. NAIADES has been in operation for five years and will guide European inland shipping policy for the next three years. Kallas announced at the conference that his office is working on a proposal for a possible continuation programme.

related household effects.Tony Richman, the FEDEMAC European

Affairs Representative commented: “We are delighted that the intense lobbying by FEDEMAC and our networking with trade allies and other organisations, to carry out a united campaign, has resulted in a positive success which avoids the unthinkable situation that movers may otherwise have been left with. Our thanks go to our colleagues at IAM and FIDI as well as the WSC, the WCO, CLECAT for their support at European and worldwide levels and to those FEDEMAC member associations who also supported our campaign by action at national level.”

BAR is one of those organisations that lobbied extensively at a national level, through several government departments and with MEPs, and provided information and support for FEDEMAC lobbying.

Nick Kerr, FIDI UK Representative, was delighted with the ruling.

Although this is obviously good news for all concerned with European movements, BAR has reported that there are some teething problems that FEDEMAC and FIDI members have identified that will require further representation to resolve.

The unique event brought together some of the leading opinion makers in Europe - both on the supply and demand side - to lead more than 30 presentations and panel discussions showcasing all that inland waterway transport has to offer logistics and supply chain managers. Topics covered were wide ranging and visionary, including innovative logistics techniques, green fuels and vessels, population, commerce and culture, climate change, achieving sustainable logistics chains and information technology.

Simultaneously to the information pillar of Barge to Business, a unique business to business pillar called Riverdating was organised under the auspices of Voies navigables de France. This concept offered an opportunity for one on one meetings between the supply and demand side, with the inland navigation community and logistics service providers showcasing their network to logistics and supply chain managers.

More than 600 delegates from 22 countries attended Barge to Business. Delegates included executive managers, logistics managers, inland navigation experts, government policy makers and waterway service providers.

More use of inland waterway transport is an efficient way to reduce congestion and CO2 emissions and to contribute, in a sustainable way, to Europe’s industrial prosperity. The PLATINA project, adopted under the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, covers a broad set of actions in five strategic fields of NAIADES: improve market conditions, modernise the fleet, develop human capital, strengthen the image of inland navigation and improve the infrastructure. For more information visit: www.naiades.info.

Full steam ahead for inland waterwaysBarge to Business, a European event about logistics and supply chain management that focussed on inland waterway transport, took place in Brussels in November 2010.


European News


This year’s annual Council meeting was held in Amsterdam on 26 and 27 November, 2010. Arnoldo Righetti (Italy) the

FEDEMAC President opened the proceedings and reported that he had had a successful first year in office, he had a good Board of Directors and they had dealt with several issues raised in the year. As a lobbying organisation it was successful although much depended on the national associations joining in and lobbying at the same time within their own countries. He thanked those who had been able to join in, understood that others had other issues taking up their time and were unable to assist on this occasion and hoped that in the future all associations would be able to support the FEDEMAC lead.

All those present introduced themselves and the meeting began with the lobbying consultant, Tony Richman, presenting his report on activity undertaken throughout the year. He started by identifying and listing items known to be in the pipeline, these included directives, mainly on road safety. There was activity on intelligent transport systems and bringing order to the different toll systems and electronic devices in the hope of reducing the number and different types involved.

There was hope that we may be able to influence the removal or reduction in the number of Heavy Goods Vehicle Traffic Bans in various parts of the EU. The LABEL project for secure truck parking areas along the Trans European Road Network was progressing.

The inclusion of ‘self-employed’ drivers within the Road Transport Working Time Directive (RTWTD): this was fine but there was difficulty for those owner drivers who had to keep their accounts and records at home when off duty.

There was a need for harmonisation on the format of the attestation forms for drivers to demonstrate the recording of their rests/days off/duties historically.

As well as road safety the EU were looking at environmental issues and the ‘greening’ of the impact of road transport on the environment and other users. The impact was on charges made to road transport operators where the fees collected would be remitted to those whose roads were used most by transit traffic, i.e. France and Germany.

The past year had brought forward 512 amendments to EU proposals as the result of the various lobbying from transport organisations including FEDEMAC itself. During recent years ‘MODALSHIFT’ was an EU objective trying to move traffic to rail and water, this was now called ‘COMOSHIFT’.

The Rotterdam rules dealt with the liability issues when a consignment had been moved

internationally using different modes of transport along its route, this may impact on our insurance costs in the final analysis.

We needed to be aware that the greater use of ECO-Liners (over-length trucks) being used in some countries on long hauls was being looked at with great interest as another way of reducing environmental impact.

Tony Richman pointed to the fact that SNCF and DB had invested heavily in road transport and that the company collecting the new environmental tolls was part owned by SNCF. This was a threat generally to road transport operators

Members needed to be aware of the impact of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive which required new buildings to conform to new regulations which demand a nil effect on the environment.

It is very important that removers read the European Commission Study on vehicles below 3.5 tonnes. What is the view of members on this report? Should all vehicles comply to hours regulations and have tachographs or not? Tony needs some firm guidance in this regard.

The European Commission Urban Transport proposals – Urban Mobility Plans – highlight the need for tradesmen to pre-book access and parking space when unloading. This could prove very difficult with current lead-in times for removal dates.

There is a review taking place on consumer rights which could affect the moving industry very badly, it needs to be watched and lobbied if necessary.

There have been some past successes, we have lobbied successfully for our views to be taken into account – the VAT Refund Directive, mobile phone roaming charges, the Late Payments Directive and imports into Russia.

The next agenda item was consideration of the proposed annual review of the FEDEMAC Business and Action Plan 2010 to 2012. Much of the ongoing work continues as before.

The next year’s meeting was planned to be from the 18 to 20 November, 2011 and would be held in Windsor at the invitation of BAR. In 2012 Austria has invited the FEDEMAC Assembly to be in probably Saltzburg or the Tyrol.

The following day the actual General Assembly was opened by the president who again thanked the Netherlands Removal Association for its arrangements.

There was a question raised concerning the ANSI Code/Numerical Itemised Inventory standard. This had now been submitted to ISO and it was hoped that this would soon be finalised. Boris Populah (FIDI) explained that our understanding of this work was flawed.

The aim was to create a standardised number/description for all household items and to standardise starting with the companies creating the hand-held electronic devices. It may help should any government want more details and was an important first step to have a standard numerical description. It would not immediately impact on handwritten inventories.

The treasurer reported a debt owed by Morty of euro 570 should be written off as uncollectable.

A question was raised on the Annual Member reports as to how the Swiss and Italian associations were increasing their membership at a time when others were falling. The Swiss representative reported that smaller companies were joining as they were finding that ASTAG was the best and only association fulfilling all their needs including advice and representing their interests. The Italians had a relatively small, new association and the general secretary was personally phoning ten firms each week to discuss recruitment and an attempt was made to get owners and not only managers to attend meetings.

The German representatives underlined their support for the continuation of FEDEMAC lobbying for a VAT one stop shop. They also asked how the Dutch were financing TV and radio campaigns. The response was that due to the recession advertising costs had been cut and they were spending a budget of euro170,000 in a campaign aimed at pointing out that it was easy to find a professional remover and this would save back injuries, upsetting family and friends and looking after the furniture itself. The annual membership fee was about euro 1000 and this included the advertising, promotional budget and use of the association website to find a mover.

In presenting the membership report Denis Caulfield reported that the Board had discussed a matter raised by AMO that Direct Affiliates should be asked to sign a letter of intent that they would make sincere efforts to form a national association for their country within five years. If they were able to satisfy FEDEMAC that genuine, sincere efforts had been made this could be extended by three years to enable the formation of an association.

There was a report that a new association was being formed in Eire and changes made it possible that the Luxembourg Moving Association would change its mind and join. Negotiations were still ongoing with France, Finland, Malta (to form an association) and direct affiliates in Portugal. It appeared that a new organisation called MOBILITAS with 3,000 members had been formed in France but there was a concern that this was possibly a commercial organisation rather than a trade

FEDEMAC ANNUAL REPORTBy David Trenchard, BAR FEDEMAC representative. Prepared after the FEDEMAC Annual Assembly in Amsterdam in November 2010



European News

association. Care was needed to ensure that we only discussed entry with a genuine removals association.

The Assembly agreed that the Board should proceed to implement the search function and link to the members’ website and the Board was left with freedom to take the matter forward. The Council showed a preference for the option of using a German contractor, Werner Brandeis but the final decision was left with the Board as clearly a lot of detail still needed to be considered and costed before the negotiations were successfully concluded. The Council was in favour of proceeding with the search function, concern was expressed over how the broadcast function may be set up and used.

The new subscription proposals were proposed and accepted. The budget was presented and approved.

The BAR proposed that the rule requiring an annual automatic increase linked to inflation in the EU be deleted. This amendment was put to the vote and not accepted: 28/38.

The AMO invited all members to their bi-annual trade fair in Kassel held June 16 to 18, 2011. The next Young Movers Conference will be in Malta, May 26 – 29 2011.

European Union drivers who commit major traffic offences abroad will be punished in their home country upon

return under a law approved by the EU’s transport ministers on 2 December, 2010.

Under legislation approved by ministers, national authorities in the 27-nation bloc will give one another access to vehicle registration data so, for example, a Czech driver photographed speeding in France, for example, would not escape a fine.

Offences embraced by the law are speeding, drink driving, failing to wear a seatbelt and failing to stop at traffic lights, which statistics show cause 75% of all road accident deaths. Parking offences are not included in the bill.

The new EU-wide rules still need backing from the European Parliament before becoming law. The ‘greens’ have already said the proposals are too weak and urged MEPs to strengthen them when the bill goes to parliament.

Only fines of more than euro 70 would be enforceable cross-border.

Under the legislation, drivers would be fined according to laws of the country where they commit an offence. Some EU countries already cooperate. Belgian drivers photographed speeding in France are likely to receive tickets at home. But Poles can feel safe once they have crossed their border.

Parliaments in Britain, Ireland and Denmark may still decide not to adopt the law as those countries have opt-outs from the EU’s police cooperation. BAR is currently trying to obtain clarification from the UK government.

EU to crack down on cross-border driving offences

Send your letters to: The Editor, Steve Jordan, Removals & Storage, The Words Workshop Ltd, 26 Swanwick Lane, Broughton, Milton Keynes, Bucks MK10 9LD Tel: 01908 695500 Fax: 01908 690099 E-mail: [email protected]

Dear Sir,BAR – benefits of membership?It’s not unusual for December to present a few challenges in commercial relocation and when the commercial relocation industry sneezes the crate rental industry catches a cold.

On Thursday 9th of December, already having dealt with a vehicle breakdown in Paris (thankfully after 100 personal crates had successfully been delivered to UBS) I took an irate call from a client in Dingwall unhappy that we were unable to accept an order to deliver 200 crates there. It was a day in which we had vehicles buried in snow on the M8 between Glasgow and Edinburgh. It was beginning to feel like the twilight zone.

On the same day we arrived, with an empty 18 ton vehicle, to collect crates in Peterborough and discovered that there were twice as many crates ready for collection as we had been led to believe and, on arrival, we were informed that the crates HAD to be cleared from site that day; I thought that the season had finally got the better of us.

Before conceding defeat I picked up a copy of the BAR membership directory and I called Reads Worldwide Ltd, in Peterborough, to find out if we could tip our truck at their premises. Neil Clarke explained that he would need our crates to be cleared before the following Wednesday but otherwise, yes, he was glad to help us out.

And there you have it – yet another example of mutual commercial support which I have always known to be unique amongst BAR members. Thank you Neil for reminding me that it’s good to belong.

John MitchellPluscrates Ltd

Dear Sir,It is with great sadness that I have to report the death of Alan who was a member of NAFWR and later BAR from 1960 to 1990.

He attended almost all of the local area meetings and during this time he held the position of treasurer for 20 years. He made sensible contributions and suggestions to all debates, and was well know for his wit and dry sense of humour. He would assist other members locally and from a distance if at all possible. He was well respected and was awarded Honorary Membership of the Northern Area on his retirement.

After serving two years National Service in the Royal Navy at the end of the Second World War he entered his father’s family transport business, Pilkingtons, which was established in the Chester Le Street area in 1919. The removals and storage side of the business remained limited in size but vans and men were always well turned out and in the latter years they had an immaculate container storage facility. He was a very astute business man and soon realised that diversification was the key to success. He developed a specialist European Tankers Division which soon became the major part of the business.

He married Joan in 1955 and they had two sons, John and Tony, who both entered the business in the 1970s, with two grandsons following in the mid 1990s. Tragically, Alan was pre-deceased by his son Tony in 2001 and the business sold shortly afterwards.

Alan was a true family man at heart, had a wonderful relationship with Joan and was happiest helping out his children, grandchildren

and latterly his great grandchildren. His main interests were the Second World War in Europe and he visited most of the battlefield areas. With Joan he greatly enjoyed travelling further abroad to America and Asia. Whilst his health was very good during his working years, he suffered serious medical problems in the last 20 years but showed great determination to overcome them. Shortly before his death he liked nothing better than driving daily to his many eating houses for lunch in his beloved North East.

He was a great personal friend and will be sadly missed by all who knew him.

Ron BurridgeRichardson Removals

Amanda Andrews has joined Baxters International as Head of International and Corporate Sales.

Amanda will report to Tony Jarvis, Sales Director, and will be directly responsible for the development of new international and corporate business for the company. She will be

based with the rest of the international and fine art packing and shipping team at Baxters International’s Waltham Abbey location.

Amanda was most recently at Wentworth International, prior companies included Harrow Green, and Crown Relocation.

A letter to the editorOBITUARY

Amanda Andrews joins Baxters International

Alan Pilkington: 1927–2010


Letters/People News

46

People News


And another thing ...

What are they doing to our telly? By WALLY WHINGER

I must confess to being something of a telly addict, at least I was, but for the last few years my enthusiasm has started to wane.

It’s not that the programmes are rubbish, although some of them are truly awful, it’s the ruddy adverts. Back in the good old days advertisers were only allowed to broadcast six minutes of advertising an hour on British TV, now a typical ad break is four minutes and they happen three or four times an hour. One answer is to record everything you want to watch and then fast-forward through the ads when you play it back, but the crafty advertisers have thought of that too. Lately they’ve been flashing the title of the programme up between the adverts hoping you’ll press the play button before the end – now that’s really below the belt. Another new thing is companies sponsoring programmes, where they get their own little mention at the beginning and end of every ad cassette saying that Poirot or Coronation Street is presented in association with somebody’s chocolate bars or crinkle cut chips – I can do without those as well.

It’s not as if they’re advertising anything you’d ever want to buy. It’s worst at Bank

Holidays. Why oh why do they think whenever a Bank Holiday comes around that everybody wants to buy a bed, a new couch or a fitted kitchen and that we’re all daft enough to believe we’re getting a bargain? And is there ever a time when DSS or whatever they’re called are not having a blinking sale? They drive me nuts.

If it’s not furniture it’s car insurance and it seems everyone is trying to out do one another to create the world’s most irritating advert. If I see the one with that opera singer again I think I’ll scream even louder than he does; and what those talking rats are supposed to be about I have no idea.

If we’re not careful we’ll finish up the same as America where they run the intro and slot an ad break in before the programme starts and then run another a couple of minutes in for good measure – why do they put up with it?

Long live the BBC I say. I know it costs £150 or so a year, but that’s a small price to pay to watch TV without being interrupted every ten minutes with mindless adverts. Oh, and they throw the radio in free for good measure.

Happy viewing.Can you think of any subjects for our grumpy old man to get his teeth into?

You can email him at:

[email protected]

Well done to Ray Inskip of Red Recruit who worked out that the fuzzy photo last month was Mark Herrington from CMOTY 2010 winner, Pickfords Business Moving. Ray wins a quarter-page advert in R&S for his company. This time it’s a picture of a pixelated golfer. In fact it’s about as good as some of the photos people send in for publication in the R&S. But can you make out who it might be?

Answers to [email protected]

Solution to January’s puzzle

It was over 20 years ago that Managing Director David Cleal and Purchasing Director Graham Critchley formed Essex

Bodies from a previous company Power Bodies. Over that time the company has operated as a general body builder supplying vehicle bodies across the industry including tipper trucks, curtain-siders, refrigerated vehicles and, of course, removal bodies.

Steve Thomson explained that the removals industry currently represents an important 20% or so of the company’s business. “Over the years we have built up the skills that the moving industry needs. We understand the features that movers need in their vehicles, how they like things done and the quality they expect.”

Steve joined the company nine years ago having previously been a customer from the contract hire and leasing industry. Over that time he’s seen a number of changes in the requirements movers have in their vehicles. One signifi cant change has been the move towards bigger and more sophisticated sleeper cabs which has largely seen the demise of the Luton body. “It seems as if companies are doing more European and long distance work than before so the sleeper cab is more important. I guess the world is a smaller place than it used to be. Some customers still prefer the Luton shape but the box vehicle does look more modern nowadays.”

Detachable bodies are also in demand however Steve explained that they can be impractical other than on the larger vehicles. He said that the company often get enquiries for demountable bodies on small vehicles, even 35cwt, but the payload is just not suffi cient. There can also be problems with loading if bodies are dropped for customers to load themselves. They tend to over-load them and distribute the weight unevenly. Most demountable bodies the company supplies are on vehicles of over 12 tonnes for larger companies that can really take advantage of the logistical benefi ts of having multiple bodies for each tractor unit.

Whole Vehicle Body Type ApprovalThis whole vehicle body type approval legislation has been on the horizon for some time and is now edging closer. It is already in place for some type of vehicles and Steve expects type approval to take full effect in the removals market by 2013. But even now the detail of the regulations are unclear. In principle all vehicles will have to be inspected by VOSA and a compliance certifi cate issued before they can be registered. It should be possible for body builders to apply for a ‘Small Series Type Approval’ for vehicles that they produce regularly with appendices for frequently occurring

Getting a better bodyEssex Bodies is one of the UK’s leading vehicle body builders used by moving companies for over 30 years to supply a wide range of vehicle types. Here, Steve Jordan talks to the company’s Sales Manager Steve Thomson to fi nd out more about the company and, importantly, more about how the approaching whole vehicle body approval regulations will affect the moving industry.

Changing styles The traditional Luton bodied vehicle (above) and the currently more popular box type with better sleeping accommodation

variations such as the rear door type, etc. That will allow the body builder to self-certifi cate vehicles built to that specifi cation.

However any variation that is not covered by the VOSA approval, especially changes to the chassis itself to create, for example, a drop well, may need to be approved individually. “Even the cost of us obtaining a series approval will need to be passed on incrementally to our customers,” explained Steve, “however any bespoke approvals will be more expensive and will take much longer to get through the regulations.” Steve added that the problem will be made even worse by the lack of VOSA testing stations around the country. “There are bound to be delays and, of course, we will need to have technical staff on hand during the inspections to answer any questions that arise.”

One example Steve gave of an impending problem is that of tow bars on large vehicles. There are no standard off-the-shelf products for these vehicles so each tow bar must be made specially. This might not be allowed under the new regulations. “This type of detail really isn’t clear yet,” said Steve.

There is also a possibility that the regulations could affect existing vehicles if VOSA chooses to apply the regulations retrospectively. Although this appears unfair there have been cases in the past where this has happened requiring relatively new vehicles to be returned to the workshop for modifi cation to meet changing requirements. If this happens it will also affect the resale value of some vehicles.

But from Essex Bodies’ point of view the type approval regulations are probably a good thing in the long run. Steve admits that there is currently nothing to stop anyone setting up as a vehicle body builder. The new regulations, he feels, will sort out some of the smaller companies leaving the industry clear for the larger, more professional organisations to thrive.

In terms of advice to movers Steve said that they should try to plan their vehicle acquisition policies as far ahead as possible and to build a good working relationship with their preferred body builder. As regulation increases and delays build it will be important for everyone to have a trusted partner in whom they can trust not just now but in the future as well.


Essex Bodies

48

The staff that managed to get into the offi ce got as many vehicles and crews out as they could. To keep people moving, the

snow chains went on and they had to use some quite creative methods to keep things going, but Bournes’ staff pulled out all the stops and its customers really appreciated it – especially when they had to be out of their houses and handing over keys. Here Kirsty Parsons, Marketing and Business Developer at Bournes, gives us her account.

The recent bouts of snow haven’t stopped us at Bournes but they have made things way more stressful than they needed to be in the run up to Christmas, one of the busiest periods in moving and in our customers’ lives - they just don’t need that!

Firstly, there is the diffi culty in planning. It seemed by the end of the last bout that even the forecasters had given up on trying to predict the weather, in fact I heard the local Heart radio station say that it was going to snow but no one had any idea when or how much! That about sums up how diffi cult it’s been to keep going as normal with a virtual blindfold over our eyes in terms of predicting travel times, vehicle routing, staff numbers and access to properties. We’ve also found that a difference of a few miles geographically has been worlds apart in terms of weather. Leaving our depot

one evening I skidded and slid all over the place crawling at about 5mph on icy roads covered in at least two inches of snow but by the time I was out of the town less than a mile a way the roads were clear and I was back up to regular speed.

This has also made it diffi cult for customers to understand delays or issues in reaching them. A customer in Essex couldn’t understand that our vehicle was delayed in getting to her because outside of her window there was only a sprinkling of snow.

The speed the snow fell this year was a bit different to the weather we experienced in the fi rst quarter of 2010: it was fast and it was heavy. I think one day we had nine inches of snow in one afternoon. Whilst I’ve mentioned the diffi cultly in planning whether we can get out to customers, we also had to bear in mind if we can get our vehicles and our crews back at night to a warm, safe home and their families. In hindsight having heard the stories of truckers and regular commuters holed up for hours, even days, in their vehicles elsewhere you have to commend our staff for their willingness to try.

One customer really summed it up for me. We undertake a number of home delivery contracts for local furniture retailers, the customer called me the day before her delivery to ask whether I thought it would be coming. I

told her the truck was loaded and ready to go, but that we’d have to monitor the situation overnight and that if she wanted to keep her delivery booked I’d be happy to call her fi rst thing in the morning to let her know our plans. When I called her the next morning to say the delivery would be coming she was thrilled as it was getting close to Christmas and she was expecting a house full of guests, she also wanted me to assure her that the crew would not put themselves at risk to get to her. As it happened the crew was able to get fairly close to the customer’s house, although couldn’t get onto her driveway. When she phoned me in the evening to thank us she was full of praise for the crew who went out of their way to go the extra distance by foot, and still with smiles on their faces and a ‘nothing is too much’ attitude.

The single thing the whole situation highlighted to me was the importance of communication, customer service and issue recovery. It’s not about what goes wrong, it’s about how you deal with it. Personally I was waiting on a number of presents I’d bought for my family to come from Internet retailers (I can’t stand the shopping malls at Christmas) which due to snow were very delayed. The thing that upset me the most was the lack of communication or willingness to assist me from various sellers. Snow was used as an

Snow troubleThe recent bad weather affected most people but some areas were hit worse than others. Bournes, based in Rye, East Sussex, found conditions particularly bad after 11 inches of snow fell.

The show must go onLeft: Kirsty Parsons, Marketing and Business Developer at Bournes; above: Katia Burilova managed to make it in to the offi ce where staff pulled together to get as many vehicles and crews out as they could (main picture)

The show must go on


Bournes and the big freeze

50

excuse and the response I got on most occasions was “What do you want me to do about it?” - not exactly helpful.

Most people will understand that we are not in control of the weather, we are however as service providers in control of how we deal with those situations. We are able to pick up the phone and call a worried customer to give them information, to offer alternative solutions and reduce the negative impact of the situation on them as much as is in our power, and that’s what we did. No reasonable customer would be outraged if we couldn’t get to them because a foot of snow would put our crews’ lives in danger, but they would be forgiven for being pretty annoyed if we didn’t call them to tell them we weren’t on our way and to work out a new approach for their move.

We were lucky to almost instantly benefit from recent investment in our IT systems. An overhaul of our infrastructure and replacement of our servers, as well as the installation of a further broadband line to speed up remote connections, meant that those office staff who couldn’t get out of their homes were quickly able to log on to our move management and e-mail systems remotely and continue to service our customers almost as normal with all the data they required available. We also benefited from last year’s investment in vehicle tracking

and satellite navigation systems, this allowed us to monitor where the traffic was particularly bad and investigate alternative routes as well as keep our customers updated on how far away our vehicles were rather than just calling to say we’d be late.

From the top of our organisation to the bottom our staff have been outstanding. Crews were late home due to delays in travelling but still reported for duty on time early the next morning.

I witnessed our managing director packing a backpack of supplies at 5am and starting out on the three mile walk to the depot so that he could be on-hand to assess which crews were able to turn in for work and be pro-active in working out solutions and contacting our customers. Once the roads were a little better later in the day he returned to get his car so that he could drive a loading crew to London where their shipping container was waiting to be loaded but they couldn’t get to in their lorry. Other staff with 4x4 vehicles volunteered to make trips to collect their colleagues who couldn’t safely get to work and the handymen in our in-house crating facility quickly fashioned a state of the art snow plough to quickly and safely clear the roadways at our depots. The dedication to getting on with things was the same as early 2010 where our crews went to all lengths, one crew even raided the local shop for all the rock salt they could buy and proceeded to spread it by hand over a customer’s lane so that they could continue a removal that just could not be delayed.

All in all, we didn’t suffer too much and could even say our company has been strengthened as a result of previous experience – our ‘snow’ recovery programme is now well rehearsed and everyone knows what to do when Mother Nature dumps the next batch of the white stuff.

“ The single thing the whole situation highlighted to me was the importance of communication, customer service and issue recovery. It’s not about what goes wrong, it’s about how you deal with it. ” Kirsty Parsons


Bournes and the big freeze

51

At the time the company was struggling with low order books and short time working. Only 18 months later the same

group of people are enjoying working in a successful, growing company with the kind of prospects few would have imagined. This is how he did it.

Walk into Kilmarnock Removals today and you wouldn’t recognise the place from a couple of years ago. The outside of the building has had a new paint job in striking blue and yellow visible to passing traffi c from the nearby A71. The offi ces have been gutted and modernised with new furniture, a new IT system and a retail counter. The warehouse has been refurbished and the self storage units extended up to 140 units by Active Supply and Design. The vehicles have been replaced and the staff, operational and administrative (Jaclyn Imrie and Angela Gallacher), supplied with smart new uniforms. There’s new lighting, a new fi re escape, a mezzanine fl oor, a new warehouse door, new smoke detectors … the list goes on. All in all, Matt Purdie has made a £350,000 investment to bring the whole place up to 2011 standards, and it’s already paying off.

But businesses don’t thrive because the building has been decorated or the desks changed. They thrive because people make them thrive. The company has now fi lled most of the self storage units and is working on phase two. The palletised storage is 90% full. And, most importantly of all, there is a buzz of enthusiasm about the place that had been sadly lacking in the recent past.

Before Matt took over, the company had been struggling. The men were on a three-day week and, understandably, fearful that their jobs might be lost forever. “We put them all back on a fi ve-day week straight away,” said Matt. “We gave them new vehicles to drive, smart uniforms and made sure they had all the necessary training they needed through BAR. It helped to restore their confi dence and enthusiasm.”

Matt Campbell was a foreman under the old regime but is now the depot manager. “Now we never turn anything away, we go to see every job, big or small. Our enquiries haven’t increased much but now we don’t let anything slip through our fi ngers.”

“It’s about professionalism,” said Matt C. And nobody could deny that the company certainly looks good from the outside and the inside. The crews are smart, the sales presentations slick, the literature professionally produced.

The two Matts had had a little luck too. There’s a new Tesco opened immediately opposite the depot with thousands of shoppers streaming past seven days a week. “It’s certainly helped fi ll the self storage units and increased our material sales,” said Matt, “but I don’t think it’s had much affect on the removals work.” Matt has also been careful to sell his self storage units at a rate that he feels the area can sustain. “We must have got the pricing right or the store would not be full.”

What, undoubtedly, has had an effect on the business, however, has been Matt’s dedication to achieving recognised quality Standards. He maintains that Kilmarnock was the fi rst company

Kilmarnock Removals – a success storyIt was in the depths of the recession that Matt Purdie bought Kilmarnock Removals, on the retirement of Bill Kerr who founded the company in 1972.

in the UK to hold all four quality standards: BS EN 14873 for storage; BS EN 15696 for self storage; BS EN 12522 for removals; and BS 8522 for commercial. In fact the company achieved all the Standards within four months of Matt taking over. What’s more the company will be the fi rst in the UK to get the new overseas Standard when it’s available having already registered with QSS.

“It makes a huge difference to be able to demonstrate to a customer that you work to a European Standard. Anyone can say they do a good job, but the Standard proves it. We use all the Standards during the sales interview and I believe it puts up a very powerful argument in our favour with the customers. I don’t understand why companies are against Standards when they make such a difference. You only need to convert one extra job a year to get the inspection fees back.”

Referenceline too is a handy tool for improving sales. Matt explained that he often suggests that a prospective customer should check them out on Referenceline to see what past customers thought of their service. “It certainly helps,” he said.

Logistics has played its part in improving the fortunes of the company. Whereas it was previously somewhat isolated it is now part of a three-depot network – Kilmarnock, Blackburn and East Lothian (run by David Woodhouse) that spans the whole width of the country. Between them the offi ces can allocate jobs to the most appropriate depot and call on each other’s help if the going gets tough. It’s also useful to pool traffi c from all three depots to form groupage loads for UK distribution or container shipping.

However, probably the biggest single sales aid the company has is its proudly displayed DMOTY Winner trophy by the front door. “People are very impressed by DMOTY,” said Matt.

Put all this together: the economies of scale, the new facilities, the vehicles, the attention to detail, the enthusiasm of the staff, the Standards, Referenceline and DMOTY and it’s hardly surprising that the company is doing OK. What is truly astounding, however, is that Kilmarnock Removals is converting around 90% of the work it sees. Enquiries have not increased but improved conversions have resulted in around 60% increase in business overall plus the bulging storage containers, active self storage units and buoyant retail sales.

There is a lesson here for everyone. Yes, Matt had the benefi t of a good location and the advantage of two other depots to share the load, but the real turnaround for Kilmarnock Removals was achieved through investment in quality facilities and recognised Standards all of which improve the morale of staff and give customers confi dence in the company’s abilities. Cutting back during a recession may be an unavoidable necessity for some, but Kilmarnock Removals is living proof that targeted, planned investment, especially when others are feeling the pinch, is the best policy.

Left to right: Angela Gallagher, Matt Purdie, Jaclyn Imrie and Matt Campbell


Profi le: Kilmarnock Removals

52

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Japanese clients can be quite demanding – but they do make a nice lunchAccording to the Office of National Statistics there are around 40,000 Japanese people living in the UK.

Not a great number in terms of the overall population, but as many are working here on a temporary basis for their

Japanese companies, they probably represent a disproportionate share of the removals market. As everyone knows, Japanese culture is very different from our own and it’s easy to unwittingly spoil a good business relationship if you haven’t done a little bit of homework first.

Japan is one of the most densely populated countries on Earth with over 127,000,000 people occupying an area about a third larger than the United Kingdom. Unlike Britain, Japan is not a multicultural society with more than 99% of the population being native Japanese. It seems the Japanese are not generally great travellers, perhaps a legacy of the Closed Country Edict introduced back in 1635 by shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu which forbade anyone to leave or enter Japan - on pain of death - until its abolition in 1865.

With so many people and so little room, you might expect life in Japan to be hectic and frenzied, especially in the big cities, but surprisingly this is not the case. Yes, there are lots of people and traffic, but there is also patience, respect for others and a calmness that is almost palpable even in the teeming cities of Tokyo and Osaka. There is no graffiti, no litter, and surprisingly little noise. It’s rare to hear people shout. Mobile phone calls are regarded as private with conversations in public kept to a minimum and whispered into cupped hands.

Japanese people take great pride in their professions no matter how humble their occupation may be. The man who carries your case onto the train (yes they do still have porters) and directs you to your numbered seat, does so with great care and concern for your well being. The girl who sells you a coffee in Starbucks (yes they have those too) has a smile on her face and seems as though she really wants to be there. Even the man on the street corner selling the Big Issue (yes they have those as well but it is a bit odd seeing them being read back to front) regards himself as a professional and is likely to be offended if you say, “keep the change.”

Time keeping is very important in Japan and being late or too early is regarded with much distain. Taxi drivers will often arrive early and wait around the corner until the exact time for the pick up. Trains are always on time, not just the famous Bullet Trains that link Japan’s major cities - all of them.

So what does all this mean to you as a remover and what should you bear in mind or do differently when dealing with Japanese clients?

... the Japanese prefer you not to wear shoes in their homes ... The way we overcome this is to provide our operatives with two pairs of shoes – one for outside and another pair to wear inside the home.

Robinsons Relocation has many years’ experience of moving Japanese people; Joanne Summerscales, the company’s marketing manager, offered some tips for R&S readers.

“Our experience has made us aware of the vast and wide-ranging cultural differences between Japan and most other countries, and also of the importance of respecting that culture,” said Joanne. “For example, the Japanese are generally quiet people and like crews to work quietly and efficiently at all times – our crews report that you can hear a pin drop! They also don’t take kindly to loud individuals in their home; singing, whistling, or playing pop music on a portable radio is out of the question.”

“It all makes an extensive pre-move crew briefing essential, so that all crews are aware of what to expect and how to behave. Apart from the noise issue, we have found certain other elements of behaviour particularly worthy of attention. For example, good time keeping is always important for any move, but especially when dealing with Japanese clients. You will be expected to keep strictly to your time commitments. Also, the Japanese prefer you not to wear shoes in their homes. Although it is simple to adhere to this during the survey and

packing, crews cannot remove footwear while loading, for health and safety reasons. The way we overcome this is to provide our operatives with two pairs of shoes – one for outside and another pair to wear inside the home.”

“As well as removing shoes, crew must wear gloves to handle belongings, not least because most Japanese moves involve a huge amount of delicate china requiring high levels of packing and safe handling. Interestingly, not least from a moving point of view, the Japanese are also extremely fond of pianos.”

“Although quite demanding in some respects, the Japanese also value politeness and will treat members of the team really courteously, often providing crews with a very nice lunch!”

There’s no doubt that working for Japanese clients does present challenges, but with a little extra care and appreciation of their values and traditions it should be a pleasant experience for both parties. As mentioned earlier, the Japanese take great pride in their work and expect others to do the same. So if you do a good job you’re likely to win more business from their friends and colleagues.

Remember the old Japanese proverb … “If one man praises you a 1000 will repeat the praise.”


Moving Japanese clients

54


BAR Memberships February 2011Registered:The following Members have registered:

National Group & Commercial Moving Group

JT & Sons Relocations LtdMemb No: J031Lower Morgay FarmJunction RoadStaplecrossRobertsbridgeEast SussexTN32 5SHTel: 01580 831235Web: www.jtsrelocations.com

National Group

Adams Removals Ltd Memb No: A118Units 1, 2 & 3 Rowleys Yardc/o 2-22 Woodlands Park RoadLondonN15 3RTTel: 0208 800 1212Web: www.adamsremovals.co.uk

Browns Removals & Storage Ltd and ATN Tweedy Acheson Removals & StorageMemb No: B124Victoria Terminal 3West Bank RoadBelfastAntrimBT3 9JLNorthern IrelandTel: 02890 771 199Web: www.brownsremovals.com

Elite Moving Systems Ltd and ATN EMSMemb No: E040Nucleus 2Central WayPark RoyalLondonNW10 7XTTel: 0208 963 1114Web: www.elitemovings.com

Commercial Moving Group

Britannia GBS Solutions LtdMemb No: G054

Ryan’s Removals LtdMemb No: R015

Any member wishing to make any comment regarding an application should do so in writing to BAR Head Office within 21 days of receipt of this notification.

Details of membership applications in process may also be found on the BAR website: www.bar.co.uk

Memberships

Applications:BAR has received the following applications for:

National Group

Grants of CheamUnit 4 Coomber WayCroydonSurreyCR0 4TQTel: 0808 100 1960Web: www.grantsofcheam.co.uk

The Transporter Removals72 Towcester RoadFar CottonNorthamptonNorthamptonshireNN4 8LQTel: 01604 472 103 Web: www.thetransporterman.com

International Associate

Dubai Arabian Shipping Agency LLCSuite 307 & 308Office Court BuildingOUD Metha RoadDubai UAETel: 00971 4334 4545Web: www.dasadxb.com

Change of Details:

Baxters International Removals Ltd has changed its name to Momentous Moving ExcellenceMemb No: B020

ResignationsBAR is sorry to lose the membership of the following company whilst thanking them for their support:

National Group

Deltamove Removals & Storage Ltd and ATN Thame RemovalsMemb No: D020

We are pleased to advise that the announcement made in the January 2011 issue of R&S regarding AMC Removals Ltd based in Fife, did not refer to AMC Removals & Storage Ltd in Naas, County Kildare who remains a valued International Associate Member of BAR.


Feature Schedule 2011Every month Removals & Storage includes a number of feature items. These are planned well in advance to allow members of and suppliers to the industry to join in.

Here’s what’s coming up: March 2011: India; April 2011: Luxembourg; May 2011: Jamaica

E-mail us on any of the topics mentioned, or with anything you wish to say, at [email protected] or phone Nikki Gee on 01908 695500.

Diary DatesNATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES 2011

BAR Conference 2011Renaissance City Hotel, ManchesterMay 12 – 14

FIDI Annual ConferenceLisbon, PortugalMay 1 – 5

OMNI ConferenceAlbufeira, PortugalMay 6 – 10

Young Movers ConferenceMaltaMay 26 – 29

European Self Storage Annual ConferencePortugal June 15-16

MöLo International Fair ‘Furniture Logistics, Removals and Services’Kassel, GermanyJune 16 – 18

AMÖ General Assembly Kassel, GermanyJune 18

BOARD, COUNCIL AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS 2011

Board of DirectorsApril 6July 13December 7

Executive CommitteeMarch 16June 1September 21November 23

BAR AREA MEETINGS 2011

Kent AreaContact Tom Bourne: [email protected]

East Met AreaContact Ray Slemmings: 01708 440113 Northern AreaContact Alan Hoggin: 0191 549 1194 Northern Ireland AreaContact Campbell McGimpsey: 028 9145 6222 South Western AreaContact Adrian Foster: 01752 228815 Sussex AreaContact Nicholas Marshall: 0845 602 1755

East Anglia AreaContact Andrew Pearson: 01362 853777

New Met AreaContact Darren House: 01932 253737March 15 - To be held at the Novotel, Heathrow

North West AreaContact Annette Harris: 0161 653 4455

Yorkshire AreaContact Graham Puddephatt: [email protected] 17 - Venue TBAMay 19 - Venue TBASeptember 8 - Venue TBANovember 26 - AmbassadorAnnual Dinner Hotel, Scarborough

East Midlands AreaContact Jayne Cliffe: 01778 394291Meetings will be held at:The Haycock Hotel, Wansford March 16 7.00pmMay 18 7.00pmSeptember 21 7.00pmNovember 16 7.00pm

Southern AreaContact Peter Doman: 01372 [email protected]

Western AreaContact Ria Russell: 01278 447099Meetings will be held at:Brent House, Bridgwater Road, East Brent Highbridge, Somerset TA9 4HLMarch 15 - May 10 - September 13 - November 8 -

West Midlands AreaContact Sarah Pargeter: 01384 377786

BAR SCOTTISH AREA MEETINGS 2011

Contact Georgina Berry: 01505 502220Meetings will be held at:Hilcroft Hotel, Whitburn

Do you have any diary dates?E-mail them to [email protected]

Diary Dates

Trafalgar Cases Ltd

Standing the test of timeTrafalgar Cases range of warehouse containers are still manufactured and produced to the same high standards as 20 years ago.

Just like Stonehenge, their design, construction & appearancehave stood the test of time, continually providing customers with a reliablequality warehouse container.

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INDUSTRIAL PACKAGING IN PLYWOOD, SOFTWOOD & CORRUGATED BOARD

Stanhope Works, Primrose Hill, Kings Langley, Herts WD4 8HSTelephone: +44(0) 1923 261155. Fax: (0) 1923 268064. E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.trafalgarcases.co.uk

Trafalgar adverts copy 4/10/04 8:34 pm Page 10

Trade Services


Sweden and Scandinavia

Channel Islands

Scotland/Europe

Ireland

Isle of Man

Established 1990

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Italy

• Regular runs to all areas • Full or part loads • Receiving depot 10mins from M25 J5 ...or we collect• All deliveries and collections carried out by our own crewsPhone Paul for advice and genuine delivery/collection [email protected]

TRADE ROUTES

TO ITALYFRANCE-AND OF

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Daily trade service to and from the Channel Islands

Tel: 01489 581 063 or 01489 579 997Email: [email protected]

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Trade Services


France

AustriaGermany and Austria

Weekly Groupage Service Full origin and destination services available.

German speaking staff

WH HUMPHREY & SON LTD

Contact Darrel or JustinTel: 0208 144 0734 • Fax: 0844 770 7111Email: [email protected]

NAT I O N A L & IN T E R N AT I O N A L RE M OVA L SH AMILTONS

Contact our European department on 01379 851074 [email protected]

France&• Weekly services and competitive rates• Tranship & Hoist services available• Collection from your

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To download our tariffs visit:www.hamiltonsremovals.co.ukUsername:Trade Password: Ham662

SwitzerlandH081

Switzerland

Cyprus and Malta

� Weekly Services to North and Southern Cyprus, Malta, Egypt, Israel, Dubai, Morocco, Canary Islands, Lebanon and Tunisia.

Contact Darrel or JustinTel: 0208 144 0734 • Fax: 0844 770 7111Email: [email protected]

GREECEby Road

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Spain

UK Office: 01843 585055, [email protected] Office: 0034 971 693566, [email protected] website: www.william-worldwide-webb.com

Weekly Scheduled Service, Containerised Storage DepotsHolder of Spanish Transport Licence

for our Tranship vehiclesUnrivaled Infrastructure in Mallorca, Menorca & Ibiza Excellent Rates, Payment in Euros or GBP accepted

Purely The Balearics, No Bull! WEEKLY

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Canary Islands

TRADE RATES

www.evl-rates.co.ukRegular Trade Services to:

• CANARY ISLANDS • CYPRUS• MALTA & GOZO

Call Paul: 01753 561490 Email: [email protected] Colnbrook SL3 0ED

Memb. No: E007

Worldwide

Regular Services to all Major Destinations Worldwide

Receiving in Windsor & StourbridgeContact Mike, Chris or Steve on

01633 488 [email protected]

Trade Rates to Europe

Trade Services


South Africa

United Arab Emirates

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Trade Storage

www.tradestorage.co.ukWe are not a removal company oryour competitor, you are our clients

on which our business depends.

[email protected] or Swindon

0208 795 4838 or 01793 731696

They say that imitation is a form offlattery - but there is only one

Trade Storage Limited.

Cadogan Tate® Trade ServicesTRADE STORAGE – Please call Alan Carpenter 0208 963 3905Depots in LONDON NW10 – WOKINGHAM (M4) – OXFORD (M40)Secure alarmed warehouses – helpful flexible service - competitive rates

EXTERNAL ELEVATOR – Please call Alan Carpenter 0208 963 3905External access up to 6th floor – no stair/lift work. Includes Operator & Equipment.Immediate payback in saved time & money.

EUROPEAN GROUPAGE – Please call Stuart Ashe 0208 963 4015Fortnightly air-ride satellite tracked service between London, Paris, Geneva & Côte d’Azur.Fine Art service available. Trade rates.

www.cadogantate.com

Strip Ad Trade Services:Layout 1 29/11/10 11:23 Page 1

Warehouse Containers

External Elevators

Computers and Internet

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TRAILER HIREFrom car trailers to 3200 cubic feet

stepframes, 8 containercurtainsiders unsignwritten haulage

available too. (UK and Europe).www.tradestorage.co.uk/trailers020 8795 4838 or 01793 731696

Piano Specialists

LOCAL MOVING • WORLDWIDE SHIPPINGWEEKLY EUROPEAN SERVICE

Recommended by the worlds finest piano manufacturers,auctioneers, music colleges & academies.

A family run business, Est. in 1968.

THE PIANOSPECIALISTS

Mem. No G005

100 BOLLO LANE, CHISWICK, LONDON W4 5LXTel: +44 (0) 20 8994 9733 Fax: +44 (0) 20 8995 0855Email: [email protected] www.gandrremovals.co.uk

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Classifi eds


For Sale

Used 250ft3 storage containers £75 each. Contact Mandy on 01285 641003

Are You Looking To Sell?

We are looking to buy good quality household moving and storage companies in London and the home counties.

Please call 07933 123 123 in full confi dence for a quick decision.

Opportunities

Classifi edAdvertising ChargesAll classifi ed advertisements should be booked no later than the 10th and received no later than the 15th of the month preceding publication.

For all advertising enquiries please contact:Nikki Gee at The Words Workshop, nikki@the wordsworkshop.co.uk26 Swanwick Lane, Broughton, Milton Keynes MK10 9LDTel: 01908 695500 Fax: 01908 690099

RatesSituations Vacant £2.15 per word (min 15 words)For Sale and Wanted ads £2.15 per word (min 10 words)Boxed Ad (Semi-Display) £30 per single column centimetre (Please note all lineage & semi-display ads are set by R&S in house style)

Half Page Mono £510Half Page Colour £615Quarter Page Mono £425Quarter Page Colour £500Box Number +£30All charges are plus VAT.

Box NumbersReplies to Box Number advertisements should be sent to:The Advertiser Box no. (XYZ)The British Association of RemoversTangent House, 62 Exchange Road, Watford, Herts WD18 0TG

Situations VacantIn line with the Sex Discrimination Act, all positions are open to male and female applicants.

VehiclesPurchasers of a vehicle advertised in Removals & Storage should satisfy themselves that the payload/volume is suitable for the purpose for which they intend to use it.

SELL IT, FIND IT,

FILL THATVACANCY,

WITH A LINEAGE AD

£2.15FOR JUST

PER WORD

+VAT

Your story or event could be

FRONT PAGE NEWS!Did you know that the R&S front page is available to book for just £965+VAT? (See page 71.) If you have some interesting news to share or maybe a special event planned, then why not tell everyone about it in style via the front page of the R&S? You’ll also get a write-up in the magazine to accompany it. If you’re interested in making a booking then please e-mail: [email protected]

Your story or

FOR SALEHighly Versatile Removal Vehicle2003 DAF 95XF Superspace Cab

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Tel:01908 695500 Fax:01908 690099Email:[email protected]

“I would highly recommend R&S magazine to any Removal Company wishing to advertise their job vacancies.I cannot praise the classified team highly enough for their professonalism, pro-activeness, skill and design capabilites.If all our suppliers were out of the same mould, and achieved the same results for us, our professional working life would be made a great deal easier!” Mina Patel, Bishop’s Move

Advertise your job vacancies in Removals & Storage magazine

Call Nikki Gee on:

01908 695500 or email: [email protected]

How do you find the right person for the job?

BOOK YOURCLASSIFIED

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MONO:£425 COLOUR:£500

Contact Nikki GeeTel:01908 695500 Fax:01908 690099

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+VATFOR

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Classifieds


R&S is published monthly and costs only £48 a year for UK companies and £72 a year for Overseas companies. You may order as many copies as you wish.

Please send your order with payment to:British Association of Removers,Tangent House, 62 Exchange Road, Watford, Herts WD18 0TGEngland.

Order additional copies of R&S

Please send copies of Removals & Storage to:

Name

Company

Address

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email

I enclose a cheque for

made payable to: The British Association of Removers

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Card number

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Advertise your job vacancies in Removals & Storage magazineCall Nikki Gee on:

01908 695500 or email: [email protected]

FIND THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE JOB

BOOK YOURCLASSIFIED

QUARTER PAGEADVERTISEMENT

MONO:£425 COLOUR:£500

Contact Nikki GeeTel:01908 695500 Fax:01908 690099

Email:[email protected]

+VATFOR

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Or visit us at www.anglopacific.co.uk. London, Manchester, GlasgowFREEPHONE 0800 707 6093

Our Services ◆ Continuous receiving in London, Manchester and Glasgow◆ Worldwide LCL, FCL and airfreight services◆ Regular groupage services to Australasia, North America, South Africa, S.E. Asia, Dubai, Cyprus◆ On-line sailing schedule updates and shipment tracking

Memb No: A026

Trade SecretsFind out what you can achieve on-line with

our trade groupage shipping services,and make sure you’re in the know.

We’ve been in the business for 30 years and offer frequent

sailings on all routes to major destinations worldwide.

We’ll arrange shipment on the vessel promised and nominate reliable FIDI agents at destination. With depots in

London, Manchester and Glasgow we offer a competitive groupage solution

wherever you are located.

At Anglo Pacific we understand your business and will ensure that your goods are handled

professionally from start to finish.

Visit our website or simply call our friendly experts and

get the facts.

r&s february 2011

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