Book a winner!

Book a collection online, and you could be celebrating with a bottle of bubbly! Each month, we draw a lucky winner from customers who've used our online booking system. Next month it could be you…

Jackie Mason of Chiltern International Ltd was surprised when a routine booking turned into a celebration! Based just down the road from our Slough headquarters, we're delighted to say that Chiltern International have been working with Scarlet for more than 10 years. The company is a leading contract research organization with offices across the United States, Europe and India.

Jackie (pictured right) was presented with her prize by Scarlet's Nadeem Saleem.

Scarlet Calendar 2008 Winners

We're delighted to announce the winners of our Calendar Competition - and to thank all the talented photographers who contributed their photos. We've had some fantastic entries this year - and a difficult time selecting the winners! There was a huge variety of subjects as our Thames Valley theme allows lots of scope for landscapes, close-ups, town and country images. We hope you enjoy the calendar throughout the year.

Each of our winners received a framed print of their photograph and a bottle of champagne - pictured here are:

Dagmara Kubera (Church at Cookham) with Scarlet's Commercial Director Les Parsons

Dave Mundy (Maidenhead Bridge) with Area Sales Manager Clare Dawson

Ed Doughty (Windsor Wheel) with Scarlet's Sales Director Adam Barber

John Ashford (Marlow in Winter) with Sales Director Adam Barber

Rob Gallop (Fire in the Sky, Theale) with Operations Director Martin Cavendish

Sarah Fraser-Green (In the Garden, Windsor) with Area Sales Manager Clare Dawson

Sue Avery (Sonning Lock) with Scarlet's Operations Director Martin Cavendish

Bob Shepherd (Windlesham Arboretum) with Scarlet's John Dexter

Scarlet Tops League at UK's Largest Overnight Delivery Network

With nearly 40,000 overnight consignments safely processed in the space of just 4 weeks, Scarlet was the biggest APC depot for the month of October. The APC overnight delivery network is now the largest in the UK, with more than three times the number of depots run by Parceline, and nearly twice as many locations as TNT. APC was set up by Scarlet and 50 more of the UK's leading independent courier companies in the early 1990s, and is still owned and managed by its member depots – now 125 strong. Handling more than 70,000 consignments a night through its central Walsall hub, APC has always prioritised high levels of service and is currently recording an impressive 99.86% on-time delivery rate nationwide.

Green Light for Scarlet Drivers

Scarlet's ongoing assessment and improvement policy has seen all our drivers taking part in the Government's SAFED training programme, aimed at improving safety and reducing vehicle emissions.

Each driver undertakes a full day of intensive training, and results have been overwhelmingly positive. Scarlet's General Manager, Martin Cavendish, says:

"Once the fuel management techniques have been put into practice, drivers have reported as much as 60% improvement in fuel efficiency - which of course means far lower carbon emissions - and that's good news all round."

Safety is the other major emphasis of the programme, not only to reduce accidents but also to train people in more ergonomic driving techniques for their own benefit.

The SAFED (Safe and Fuel Efficient Drivers) programme is funded by the Department for Transport and aims to train 7500 professional van drivers from throughout the UK.

Scarlet Teams Up with 107fm

Sports fans in Reading are being introduced to a new sponsor for 107FM's sports reports - Scarlet Couriers! At the same time we've launched Scarlet's first ever radio advertising campaign with six different ads appearing throughout the day.

Reading 107FM, which has 40,000 listeners in the Reading and Wokingham area, is the official station of the Royals - and Scarlet will also link up with the team for a co-sponsored match in April.

Scarlet's Reading office has become firmly established with an expanding customer base - so now is the perfect time to underline our name and services via the popular radio station. Listen out for the 107FM sports reports on the half hour - and for Scarlet's advertising spots throughout the day.

London Congestion Charging Zone extended

From Monday 19th February the London Congestion Charging zone is extended west to include most of Kensington, Notting Hill, Bayswater, Chelsea, Belgravia, Knightsbridge and Pimlico. This will consequently affect the cost of deliveries to postcodes in W2, SW3, W8, W10, SW7, W11, SW10 and SW5 - except for deliveries to the Earls Court exhibition area which is just outside the Zone so will not incur the Congestion Charge.

The extended zone also covers parts of W14, but because the majority of Scarlet deliveries to this postcode are for the Olympia Exhibition Centre which is outside the charging area, we have decided to exempt W14 destinations from the charge altogether.

Scarlet Pallet Service

Whether you ship 30 pallets a day or one pallet a week - talk to Scarlet. Our overnight pallet service offers you reliable nationwide overnight pallet delivery at extremely competitive prices.

Next day delivery can be made to addresses throughout England and Wales, most of Scotland plus the area around Belfast and Dublin, with a 2-3 day service to the English islands and to Eire. Please call us for details of available services to your delivery area. If your customer asks for a timed delivery window - or a Saturday morning delivery, that's no problem - and we can also arrange remote collection from your supplier. For less urgent UK consignments we can also offer you the option of our 48-hour economy service.

For more information about this service, or if you need to ship pallets to Europe or require a bespoke solution, just call your nearest Scarlet office and let us know how we can help.

2007 Scarlet Calendars

Scarlet's Jon Barber presents Dave Mundy with a framed copy of his winning picture "Raymill Weir".

Lorraine Saville from Hungerford with her magical winter scene "The Winding Hole".

Ed Doughty was presented with his prizes by Julie Barber for his atmospheric photograph "Eton Nightscape".

We're delighted to announce that the new Scarlet calendar has arrived - and to thank all the photographers who sent us their fantastic pictures. We decided to create our own, more focused calendar this year with the Thames Valley as our theme, and we invited local photographers to send us their images of this beautiful area. We were overwhelmed by the quality of their work and we are extremely grateful to everyone who generously contributed. We hope you agree that the results are stunning, and that you enjoy the photographs throughout the year.

Scarlet Arrives in Reading

Our newest Scarlet office opened in July - we've expanded westwards into Reading and are already providing our "one-stop shop" delivery services to Reading-based businesses.

With so many major companies headquartered in Reading and its Business Parks, Scarlet's expansion was the logical move. Our new office is right around the corner from the Madjeski Stadium, so we're centrally located to collect without delay!

Adam Barber, Scarlet's Sales Director, says:

"Our first six months have gone really well - and we're pleased that so many Reading-based companies have discovered Scarlet! People appreciate the time and cost savings they gain from organising all their direct, overnight and international deliveries with just one call, or via our online booking system at www.scarlet.co.uk."

It's easy to set up an account with Scarlet - just fill out our form or call 0118 975 2525. We can have your account up and running within 20 minutes, so you can start using it straight away.

Make life simple with e-billing!

Would it be more convenient to get your paperwork from us via email? Our new system means that we can now offer you the choice of receiving your Scarlet invoices by email or fax if it would make life easier. With online booking and e-billing, you can save time - and paper! Just call our accounts team on 01753 576777 or email accounts@scarlet.co.uk, and we'll set everything up.

Congratulations!

Mark Bailey of Winkfield company Castle Care-Tech is our first champagne winner for online booking! Scarlet's Vicky Gregory presented Mark with his prize at Castle Care's offices in North Street. Mark commented:

"The new system is very straightforward to use - and we find it a real bonus being able to track our overnight parcel deliveries online."

Our next champagne winners were Phil Reardon and Sam Thomas from Compass Group - seen here accepting their prize from Scarlet's Jon Wheeler. Phil, who runs the Compass HQ Despatch department, is impressed with the new online booking system:

"Online booking has cut out all the paperwork we used to have to do, and being able to track deliveries directly from the computer has certainly made life easier."

Melanie Taylor of Maxess Systems was our next winner, and is seen here accepting her prize from David Denham from Scarlet's Bracknell office. The company, who manufacture security equipment such as door entry swipe card systems, are long-standing Scarlet customers. Melanie generously commented that she'd always had excellent service from Scarlet - prompt and efficient - and that the website continues this trend. Thank you very much, Melanie - we're delighted!

Our next winner was Hazel Piggott from Teledyne Controls Flight Data Ltd, who was presented with her champagne by Scarlet's Zak Sabir. The West Drayton based company create flight recording equipment, and have been using Scarlet since we opened our new Uxbridge office. Hazel, who mainly uses our international service, appreciates the simplicity of the online booking system and finds it helpful and friendly.

Why not give our new online booking system a try? Who knows - you could be the next champagne winner!

Fuel Surcharge

As I am sure you're aware, diesel prices have been rising steadily month on month over the past year. Up until now, Scarlet has worked hard to absorb these increased costs but we - along with the majority of major transport companies - are regrettably no longer able to offset these prices. Analysts predict no let-up in the escalation of fuel costs, of which nearly 70% is tax (the July price is 92.7p per litre - over £4.20 per gallon, with £2.76 going to the Chancellor).

Scarlet is committed to a straightforward, transparent pricing structure and we have been reluctant until now to impose a fuel surcharge. However given the reported volatility of the oil price, we have decided that it would be fairer to introduce a variable surcharge rather than to impose a price increase - the benefit of a surcharge being the flexibility to adjust it downwards as well as upwards to reflect actual diesel prices.

This fuel surcharge, which was introduced in September, is based on the latest figures from the AA's fuel price report and calculated as a proportion of the % annual increase since August 2004.

We have reached this decision after careful consideration and, while we would obviously prefer not to impose any surcharge, we have to take this step to safeguard the standards that have created Scarlet's reputation for reliability and value.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me on 01344 489099 or by email.

Adam Barber, Sales Director

May 2008 surcharge: 7.98%

Scarlet's Jon Barber apppointed to National Awards Panel

Scarlet Director Jon Barber was part of the prestigious National Courier Awards judging panel for the 10th anniversary ceremony, held on June 21st at Stationers Hall in the City of London. The 2005 awards panel was announced at the House of Commons, where Lord Falkland and MP Steve Norris joined the panel for the launch. Pictured here are Steve Norris MP, Chairman of the NCA Alan Savage, Jon Barber and Lord Falkland, President of the Despatch Association.

Scarlet Celebrates 1st Year in Uxbridge

Opened in March 2005, Scarlet's new Uxbridge office extends our services to companies and businesses at the busy eastern end of the M4, with our complete delivery solutions - immediate direct delivery, international and nationwide overnights - now available to customers based in UB4, UB5, UB6, UB8, UB9 and UB10. If you're based in the Uxbridge area and need reliable, cost-effective delivery services, give Scarlet a call on 01895 811977 or email us for brochures and quotes, or to discuss bespoke delivery requirements.

Beware Web Fraud

We understand that our web address is being used to validate an attempted web fraud. An apparently plausible e-mail containing links to both Scarlet Couriers and the National Lottery web-sites suggests that the recipient has won a substantial sum on the lottery and that once an amount of money has been sent to process the claim a cheque will be delivered by Scarlet Couriers.

Please send no money to these people.

Scarlet Couriers have reported this to the police and continue to notify all who contact us that this is merely an attempt to part them from their money.

We have no connection with any lottery and do not hold or deliver cheques on their behalf.

For more information about this type of fraudulent activity - known as a "419 scam", please click here.

Warehousing Services Expand

Our new 5000 sq ft warehouse in Slough means we can offer additional opportunities for stock storage and fulfillment. Warehouse services are a growing area for Scarlet, and are proving invaluable to clients needing stock and supply, bespoke fulfillment services...or simply storage! If you have stock to store and supply into local businesses, our central Slough location and onsite courier fleet mean that deliveries are efficient and convenient. Scarlet can also arrange fulfillment to end-users - for example corporate gifts - which will be safely stored and despatched on demand. To facilitate this service we can organise label printing from your data, packing and a choice of delivery options - with bespoke services no problem. Just give us a call to discuss your requirements.

Scarlet on the Move

Scarlet is expanding! Ever-increasing volumes of consignments demanded extra resources - so in the space of eight weeks we moved both our Slough and Bracknell control centres to larger premises, more than doubling our capacity. Our Bracknell office is now located conveniently in Longshot Lane, while in Slough our new building has been customised to give us increased office/accounts areas, plus warehouse space totalling 5,000 square feet!

From our customers' point of view, the changeover was seamless - the main Scarlet phone numbers remain the same (though you'll find additional Scarlet advisors on hand when you call). Behind the scenes, our new IP telephone system is linked directly into the computers which makes for faster, more efficient bookings. This totally programmable ISDN-based system makes our telephones as future-proof as possible, giving us room to grow.

However, cutting-edge technology is balanced with personal service as Scarlet MD Jon Barber is quick to point out:

"Despite a huge increase in email communications, person-to-person voice calls remain our most important point of contact with our customers - and while we plan to use technology to the full to maximise efficiency, you'll always find a real person answering your call."

More technology and more space mean more options and services. Whatever your requirements, let Scarlet provide you with the complete delivery solution.

Download the latest Scarlet Express newsletters, or call us for a printed copy.

Scarlet Express issue 7
Scarlet Express Uxbridge special