It was his determination and innovation that led to Tony Spooner becoming an award-winning entrepreneur and it’s those qualities that will no doubt see him overcome the challenges his company has faced over the past few months.
Two years ago, having spent time working as a contract delivery driver for Amazon, Tony launched AJS Express Parcels Limited in Wellingborough, building on his existing customer base and attracting business from local firms who wanted to take advantage of his knowledge and expertise.
Hard work and word-of-mouth recommendations brought rapid success, including Tony being named Young Entrepreneur of the Year in last year’s SME Northamptonshire Business Awards.
Lockdown and its effects on the business community have undoubtedly taken their toll, but Tony remains optimistic that demand for delivery services will slowly return as the country starts to get back to normal.
“It’s been a blow, after working so hard to build the business, but hopefully our customers will soon start to see their own businesses picking up, as well as potential new ones who are looking for a service to help them rebuild,” said Tony.
“We’re ready to help with any size or amount of parcels, coupled with specialist knowledge and equipment to deal with almost any items our customers need transporting.”
This was evident just recently when AJS were given the task of delivering a fragile and rare classic car windscreen – a heart-in-mouth journey that ended with the windscreen arriving for fitting without so much as a scratch.
Most of the time, however, the system is more straightforward. AJS offers a fast, friendly and secure service that includes standard courier, critical next-day delivery and emergency same-day delivery. This could be anything from manufacturing parts to business documents, medical supplies to office furniture.
The firm runs a fleet of three vans, with plans in the pipeline to add to that as the business grows. All the vans are fully liveried and the drivers wear AJS Express Parcels uniforms to create the businesslike impression that is so important to Tony.
“I insist on the vans and the drivers always looking professional and smart because that’s the impression we want to give, for ourselves and our customers,” said Tony. “It’s important to me that people trust us and that they know that we give the same professional service whether we’re delivering one small parcel or a van load of goods. It doesn’t matter to me, every job is treated the same.
“Most of our regular clients are local companies. We’re a family-run firm and we like to deal with family firms, but we can take items anywhere in the UK, getting them where they need to be, when they need to be there. We aim to be as cost effective as we possibly can be and, of course, everything is fully insured for the customer’s peace of mind.”
AJS also has an eye on the future of the environment and has pledged to plant a tree for every ton of CO2 its deliveries produce. As part of the ordering process, customers are given the option of making a donation towards offsetting the delivery’s carbon footprint and that feeds into the same tree planting pledge. The trees will be planted as and when it is appropriate and safe to do so.
“We know that everyone has an eye on being environmentally aware now and so we put this pledge in place,” said Tony. “It doesn’t take us long to generate a ton of CO2 so it’s important that we put something back to balance that up. If our customers want to do something with us as part of reducing their own carbon footprint, then they can.
“Our overall aim is to provide a cost-effective, reliable and eco-friendly service to our customers.”
AJS Express Parcels Limited can be contacted on 01933 588010 or visit www.ajsexpress.co.uk
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