Transport HQ expands

Work to extend the Yate headquarters of logistics company DavidHathaway Transport has started as demand for the company's servicescontinues to rise.

Construction workers are on site at the firm's headquarters atWesterleigh Business Park building a 1,750 square metre extensionthat will double the size of its warehouse storage areas by November.

The expansion comes less than two years after David HathawayTransport moved to its current 5.5-acre home from Coal Lane, StPhilip's.

But, founder David Hathaway said, the new space will quickly beused up and then the search for more is likely to continue.

He said: "By Easter that new storage site will be totally filled.

"We either have to look at other sites or transferring into depotsas well as this site.

"There is a possibility we shall go to the Midlands, but we don'tknow yet. It's all on the drawing board." The company saw turnoverrise by 22 per cent, in its financial year to the end of May, toGBP6.5 million.

And in the first two months of this financial year it was up 35per cent year on year, with turnover expected to rise to GBP7.5million in the 12 month period.

At the same time the number of staff at the firm rose by 30 percent to 83 employees.

Behind the growth in turnover is an increasing number of nationalcontracts, with more work won through a national partnership oftransport companies that allows regional firms to work together toprovide customers with a service across the UK and beyond.

Mr Hathaway started out as a coal merchant in 1968, selling doorto door to householders.He founded David Hathaway Transport in 1990from a small warehouse in Keynsham, moving to St Philip's in 1996.

Now he plans to start taking more of a back seat while his threesons, Matthew, James and Christopher take on more responsibility,working with newly-appointed general manager Bob Richards.

Mr Hathaway said: "It will be up to them to make it as big as theywant to take it."