ONLINE shopping continues to surge across the region as Covid-19 restrictions push more consumers to make purchases digitally.
Local independent parcel courier, Lines Distribution Services, has reported overall year-on-year growth of 44 per cent.
The Dumfries-based company, which specialises in delivery services for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), said that retailers using its services achieved an average of 70 per cent growth within the first three months of the current financial year.
Delivery of food and drink items to addresses in the region, it said, saw “considerable growth”, with the company’s top ten customers operating within this sector.
A rapid rise in custom over the pandemic recently prompted the business to double the size of its site at Lochar Industrial Estate from 6000 to 12,000 square-feet — allowing LDS to expand its overnight parcel collection and delivery service offerings across all DG and TD postcodes.
Furthermore, last year the APC Network, which the business operates within, named the local courier ‘Depot of the Year’ for Scotland and Ireland.
Malcolm Lines, director of Lines Distribution Services, said: “Despite the challenges of the pandemic, we’re proud to see that so many of our SME customers across the region have thrived in the last year and really proved their resilience and entrepreneurialism. As a business we have been committed to supporting their success, doing everything we can to ensure our customers always have a local team working in partnership with them.”
Gill Lines, the company’s general manager added: “As we start 2021, we are dedicated to supporting the continued growth of SMEs across the region, helping them take advantage of the nationwide coverage of The APC network to reach an ever expanding customer base, and providing them with improved service options to help them flourish in the years ahead.”
