A ROMSEY-BASED international courier looks set to double its turnover. Regional Express, a courier and freight-forwarding company, has won a major contract delivering food to Africa.

It recently secured the deal transporting 1m kilos a month of food there for peace-keeping forces.
Based on the Abbey Park Industrial Estate, the company has already tripled in size since it was first set up last year by directors Eric Buggy and Geoff Evans. It turned over more than £1m in the first year.

Though Regional Express team is small, it is expected to triple again in size this year. It believes its success is down to delivering to difficult areas and expertise in dealing with outsize cargo. It has already had to move from its original base in Bournemouth to accommodate its rapid growth.

The firm looked to NatWest to enable them to fund the distribution via sea and air to a tight schedule. Working closely with representatives from NatWest and RBS, the pair secured help worth £250,000 which freed up cashflow and allowed Regional Express to take on two additional members of staff. A further two posts are set to be created by the end of the year.

Founder and director Eric Buggy said the company had gone from a small business to a medium sized enterprise in a short time and said this could not have happened without the bank’s support to make sure it had the means to expand.

Alan Washbourne, from NatWest, added: “Regional Express is a real success story and a rare case of exceptional growth with a fledgling business trading just over 12 months. Until recently, the company was reliant on their largest customer to assist with cashflow which prevented Regional Express from winning further and bigger contracts.

“We were delighted to have been able to sit down with them and discuss options, before settling on support with an invoice financing facility to help them and to support their growth ambitions for the future.”