A LOGISTICS firm is celebrating a top-drawer contract to distribute furniture and giftware to stores throughout the UK and Ireland.

Century Logistics, based at Thetford, has won a contract with importer Hookes to distribute the goods, ranging from art deco mirrors and bedside tables to soft furnishings.

These are imported from the Far East through Felixstowe and taken to the Century warehouse at Thetford before onward distribution.

Hookes, a family-run business set up about 20 years ago, used to operate its own warehousing and distribution but realised that Century’s expertise and facilities offered it a better solution.

“Hookes is a growing company so using our shared warehousing allows it to expand its business in line with demand, without making an upfront commitment to a larger warehouse,” said Century manager Stephen Basey-Fisher.

“We find that many companies, especially those selling primarily over the internet, benefit from using our warehouse and distribution services while they concentrate on their core business.”

Chico Hooke, of Hookes, said:”We like the fact that, as well as being a private company which can offer a more personalised service, Century has experience working with other furniture importers as our goods can be quite fragile and need specialist handling. Also, as we pay only for the pallet spaces and services we use, it is a cost-effective and manageable service offering.”

Century Logistics has more than 400,000 sq ft of warehousing and 140 staff in locations in East Anglia, with a wide range of clients including Dorel, the world’s biggest nursery products company. It also carries out product repair, handling customer service calls and selling end-of-line and returned stock via eBay and other outlets, for a wide range of customers.