Panther Warehousing, the two-man, white-glove delivery specialist, has been named as one of Europe’s most successful companies in a new international ranking.
The Northamptonshire-based firm, which delivers across the UK, was ranked 431 in the inaugural FT Top 1,000 Europe’s Fastest Growing Companies list.
The accolade is the latest in a string of awards for the firm which has expanded rapidly in the past five years to build a turnover of £37.7 million in 2016.
Growth has been exponential since 2010 when the company, then in general haulage, decided to concentrate on next-day delivery for furnishings and white goods, an innovation that placed it firmly at the forefront of the e-commerce boom.
By continually refining its services in response to customer demand – last year it introduced seven-day-a-week deliveries, two-hour delivery slots and a 10pm cut-off time for next day deliveries – Panther has consistently led the sector and won itself a host of blue-chip customers.
Colin McCarthy, Managing Director of Panther, said: “We are very proud to have been recognised as one of the fastest-growing companies in Europe, it’s a fantastic achievement and a testament to the hard work and commitment to good service of our staff.
“The retail landscape has changed completely in the past decade and we identified a gap in the market. People lead busy lives and we aim to make their experience of buying big ticket items such as beds and sofas as easy as possible.
“We offer a timely, courteous service with a choice of delivery times seven days a week that enable deliveries to take place with minimal fuss and bother. We are continually listening to our customers in order to refine our service.”
Other services introduced in 2016 were the one-man “Solo” service for smaller items, which has proved so popular it has generated millions of pounds of revenue in its first year, and a wet and dry installation service in conjunction with a national team of service engineers.
Panther has previously appeared in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 two years running, in 2015 and 2016, and has again been named in the London Stock Exchange’s 1,000 Companies to Inspire Britain 2017.
The scale of its success has been breath-taking, with its constant innovations and 99.4% first-time delivery rate keeping it ahead of competitors. From its modest roots the company has grown to employ more than 500 people and run a fleet of more than 300 vehicles from an ever-expanding network of depots in the UK.
The company has invested heavily in expanding its national network of depots. The most recent, bringing the total to nine, is an 86,000 sq. ft. depot in Preston, Lancs, and last year it opened a smaller facility in Watford. Two more are due to open in 2017, one at Gateshead and another at a location yet to be disclosed.
A key milestone in the past 12 months has been the £17 million management buyout by Panther in April 2016 by mid-market equity firm LDC.
