Condor is looking to develop its freight services with St Malo following the acquisition of the second freight and passenger vessel and support the growth in business with continental Europe.
The introduction of a new conventional ‘ropax’ increases the company’s fleet to five ships and creates the opportunity to not only provide additional capacity to St Malo but also improve frequency and connectivity all year round. Condor has reported a significant rise in temperature controlled products transported over the past year and is working with the Channel Islands Cooperative Society to increase imports through the Co-op’s French supply chain.
John Napton (pictured), Condor’s CEO, confirmed: “The larger fleet will help us enhance our offering to the Co-op and other commercial freight customers. It also builds on the 30% uplift in Southern route freight business we experienced last year since the deployment of our high speed vessel, Condor Voyager, which has significantly improved the frequency of continental freight supply.
“Our freight operation in France is well established so the extension of these services allows Island-based and continental businesses to send chilled and ambient items more often and also broadens the choice of products and materials available.”
Mark Cox, the Co-op’s CEO, commented: “The extra ship acquired by Condor is a positive step. We welcome any opportunity to build on the successful introduction into our stores of French produce which is proving to be very popular with customers. We look forward to further discussions to understand the potential this vessel may provide.”
