1st anniversary delivers a new home for RPM

A Wolverhampton-based courier that delivered flowers for President Bush is celebrating its 1st birthday in style. RPM, which is run by female entrepreneur Sue Chew, has seen business soar after landing a string of contracts with the professional services sector and antique dealers in the West Midlands. The increase in orders has even led to the company relocating to a larger site in Coseley, with considerable investment being channelled into its fleet of four vehicles and the latest telecommunications equipment. “It has been a fantastic first year in business and one that bodes well for the

future,” admitted Sue. “When you start a new enterprise, the first six months are always the most difficult, especially when you take into consideration the competitive nature of our industry.
“Quite simply, we knew we needed to offer something different and that is what we’ve tried to do with our 24-hour availability, partnerships with other couriers and our ability to market ourselves to new sectors that haven’t traditionally used this type of service.” Employing five people at its 12,000 sq ft facility in Darkhouse Lane, RPM has seen turnover rise to just under £175,000, with plans in place to reach the quarter of the million mark by the end of 2007. Further growth will be achieved by maximising existing contracts and through its new ‘money back guarantee’ offer, which is virtually unique in the marketplace.

This covers everything from the attitude of the driver to the delivery time and receipt of goods and has already been responsible for generating £20,000 of additional revenue. “We offer same-day delivery to any place in the UK, with 24-hour availability for all of our customers,” continued Sue. “In addition, all our vans are modern and our drivers have over 75’ years of experience, meaning excellent knowledge of every inch of the UK. Unlike some of our competitors, we also pride ourselves on the fact that our employees all wear uniforms, as image is increasingly important to our clients.” She went on to add: “We deliver all sorts of things, from engineering components for the automotive industry and flowers for specialist florists to expensive antiques for national dealers and packages for No. 10 Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament. “We’ve even had phone calls off people who have left their passports at home or have lost their keys and want us to pick them up. There have even been occasions when we’ve picked up cup final and high-profile concert tickets - you never know what request you are going to get!” 2007 is set to be just as busy, with RPM set to invest in a fifth van and take on two more people. Sue’s love for football also saw the company collect programmes for fans that couldn’t make it to the recent Championship Play-off final.