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US parcel giant UPS says the UK express market remains healthy despite fears of a slump in the sector sparked by on-going consolidation.

UPS says that the country is one of its most important markets and that it sees no evidence of a slowdown.

Jim Barber, UPS managing director UK and Ireland, says the firm has seen continued strong growth in the market. He tells MT: "Purely from a volume growth point of view if you look at the international and European parts of our business we've  grown faster than the market for 41 quarters in a row and 34 of those we've grown at double the market rate."

He says that UPS welcomes the strong opposition that US rival FedEx has brought to the UK market through its acquisition of ANC.

Barber adds: "FedEx has done very well over the last 10 years in the US, but I still think we are the best at it and in time going forward we'll show that."

He says that the UK market is more fragmented than the US but sees room for growth, not least through expansion of its logistics business: "We see it as a young, budding teenager yet to grow up," he adds.

UPS is due to open a new £47m ($85m) hub near Tamworth later this year.