Cotswolds haulier John Hackling increased its pre-tax profit more than tenfold last year, mainly due to a property deal in which it sold a large plot of land to a housebuilder. Pre-tax profit jumped from £422,000 in 2006 to £4.5m in the year ending 30 September 2007. Ken Hackling, managing director of the Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire-based company, says:
"The increase was almost entirely to do with the property deal, which we have been working on for about eight years, so unfortunately
profits will not be the same next year." Turnover is currently running at around £10m a year, according to Hackling. He expects business to be tough for the next year, largely due to the price of fuel. He adds: "We are putting fuel price escalators in our contracts, but customers are beginning to kick a bit, so times are tough."
Nevertheless, Hackling says the company has not lost any customers so far as a result of fuel price surcharges. He adds: "As long as hauliers stick together I think we should be all right." John Hackling employs 140 staff and runs 60 trucks in its general haulage operation. It also has around 11,150m2 of warehouse space and runs a property company which operates an industrial park in Bourton-on-the-Water.
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