NEWRY shipping firm Motis Ireland has reported a 9 per cent increase in sales in the year to June 30 last.
The company's latest financials showed sales of £42.8 million compared to £39.5m in the previous 12 months.
But like hundreds of companies across the north, trading figures going forward are likely to suffer badly given global trading conditions in the current coronavirus pandemic.
When firms file their accounts at Companies House, they are normally accompanied by a forward-looking statement from directors.
In the Motis accounts, its directors said: "The company continues to grow turnover and expects more growth in 2020".
They add: "We are committed to long-term creation of shareholder value by increasing the company's market share through a continued combination of organic growth, including new branch openings, and acquisitions.
"While the upcoming year is likely to be challenging, early results are satisfactory and the directors expect another good year."
Those results and the directors' strategic report were filed before the full scale of the covid crisis became known.
Motis - which operates across 500 freight ferry routes and serves more than 2,000 customers across Europe - said its gross profit margin for the year remained at 12 per cent.
Its gross profit came in at £5.1m against £4.7m previously, but after taxes and expenses, it retained just £61,486 against £297,757 the year before.
The accounts show that its administration costs rose by nearly £1m to £6.4m and the company also showed a loss of around £74,000 on exchange differences against a gain of £29,000 in 2018.
During the year the company undertook a major re-organisation, and Motis Ireland Ltd is now a 100 per cent subsidiary of Motis Group Ltd
Motis was founded in 2002 by David McComb and Patrick Hutley and started as the preferred supplier for P&O shipping services from the UK to Europe.
It provides services on freight ferries, rail and road to companies throughout the UK, Ireland, and Europe, covering the Irish Sea, English Channel, North Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Baltic Sea and Adriatic Sea as well as transport through the Alps, Mont Blanc and Frejus Tunnel.
Its accounts show that its staff numbers rose by a handful to 50 in the last trading year, reflected in a total wages bill increasing from £2.3m to £2.6m.
In addition to its Newry head office, Motis has offices in Stoke-on-Trent in England and others in Prague, Czech Republic; Poznan, Poland, Vilnius, Lithuania and Bucharest, Romania.
