Four out of five logistics companies expect the Olympic Games to increase demand for their services, according to a new study by Deloitte.
The research suggests that logistics and transport is ahead of other business sectors to become games-ready – all respondents in the logistics sector said they intended to assess the impact of the Games at some point before July.
It found that 46 per cent of companies intend to invest in marketing; 38 per cent expect to make changes to staffing levels; 24 per cent are preparing to increase capacity; and 12 per cent are even considering new trading locations.
Byron Griffin, partner for business and professional services, said: “Logistics companies will need to be flexible to support their customers during a period of heightened demand; they will need to manage potential travel disruption, challenging response times and the possibility that staff could be unavailable. A reliable and agile supply chain will be vital to ensuring ‘UK plc’ takes full advantage of the games.”
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However, Deloitte warned that only a quarter of transport and logistics companies intend to review their own business continuity plans ahead of London 2012.
James Yearsley, Deloitte’s distribution and logistics lead, said: “Unsurprisingly, transport disruption is the biggest concern of the industry but staff unavailability (46 per cent) and security (24 per cent) are also high on the agenda. Companies can minimise disruption with thorough planning and robust testing. Therefore, we would urge the 74 per cent of companies not currently intending to review their business continuity plans to think again and make sure they are fit for purpose.”
