Cannock firm's deal delivers profits lift

A leading Cannock firm which specialises in supplying forklift trucks has landed another multi-million pound deal by securing a lucrative contract with Royal Mail and post offices across the UK.

Forklift truck specialists Briggs Equipment, which has its headquarters in Orbital Way, has sealed an agreement with the postal service. Briggs supplies forklift trucks made by Yale.

The company overcame stiff competition for the deal to supply around 600 trucks to Royal Mail and post office depots across the UK.

It comes just a month after Briggs was boosted by a multi-million pound deal with Asco, one of the world's leading fuel companies.

Bosses at the company welcomed the Royal Mail group contract.

Chris Meinecke, chief operating officer at Briggs, said: "This is a high-profile contract in a very competitive marketplace."

Briggs Equipment, which employs almost 300 in Cannock, revealed a ten-fold increase in profits after a record year in February.

A host of new contracts signalled huge success at the company, boosting profits from £300,000 to £3 million.

It has been transformed from making a loss of nearly £10m in 2006 to 2007 to becoming a thriving force in the industry.