Plain sailing for company even in face of recession

​With sales up almost 50 per cent in a year, the local company has put a string of acquisitions and branch openings under its belt in recent times.

And in the past few weeks it has won two more significant contracts to supply, through British ports, the fleets of offshore operators Solstad Offshore and the DOF Group – more than 120 vessels.

Another significant development has been gaining Lloyds Register certification to supply first aid kits for lifeboats and liferafts.

Now Hutton & Company Ltd is also a contender for the Mail's Business Awards in the Ernst & Young LLP-sponsored Business of the Year Award while managing director Alex Taylor is up for the Gosschalks Solicitors-backed Young Businessperson of the Year Award.

He has lead the company from a £1.8 million turnover in 2005 to £5.4 million in 2008 with a 300 per cent boost in profits for the latter year.

He said: “We are the only company in our sector to offer 24/7 service to ships at any UK port thanks to our network of seven offices.

“We can deliver everything from eggs to engine parts and sticking plasters to steel hawsers right round the clock to meet the very tight schedules to which many ships operate today.“Apart from our recently opened depots at Great Yarmouth and Milford Haven, catering for the offshore oil business and LNG (liquefied natural gas) tankers specifically, we now supply land-based industries too.”

“Much of our growth, though, over the past four or five years has been due to acquisitions and our success is down to the hard work and dedication of our staff.”

In 2005 Huttons took over Beruldsens, an Edinburgh-based chandlers and, the same year acquired Hessle-based Marine & Offshore Medical Supplies and subsequently turned that business around.

A year later Huttons opened a branch in Aberdeen to support North Sea oil and gas operators, an arm contributing sales £2.5 million-worth of sales last year.

Taking over Pan Europe Ship Supply in June means Huttons Milford Haven base is now servicing tankers bringing in LNG for the national grid...a vital move in face of an inevitable eventual decline in the North Sea oil and gas business.