January 12 - Whilst 2009 ranks as one of the most difficult on record for the freight industry, Bellville Rodair International (BRI) says that its Amsterdam office achieved a record 91 percent increase in revenue and 118 percent increase in gross profit,

Exponential growth in both sea and air freight have resulted from BRI's commitment to increasing its customer base of small-to-medium-sized companies, says Waldo Remijn, BRI regional manager for the Benelux.

BRI Amsterdam actively targeted small-to-medium-sized companies as they have been less affected than the top tier blue-chip companies where rates "have really been squashed". It continues to do so in 2010.

BRI Amsterdam is one of the smaller BRI global offices, and its background in serving the small-to-medium sized customer has positioned it well in a market where some larger forwarders serving top tier customers have lost as much 30-400f volumes in the past six months.