CCS Media hails strong 2009

Terry Betts: I go into recruitment mode during a recession

VAR CCS Media has hailed its best ever financial results for the year ending 2009, beating its previous best turnover figure by six per cent.

Turnover for the year was £55m, with sales in November rocketing 20 per cent to £4.9m and December sales increasing 36 per cent to £4.4m. Daily sales in December were also the highest on record, CCS claimed.

Terry Betts, managing director of CCS, said his plan of recruiting new staff during the downturn has helped the company boost its bottom line.

“The last quarter has picked up heavily across the board and our growth in particular with Dell has been phenomenal. Dell is great to partner with – whatever I need, Dell can do it,” he said. “We have been recruiting staff all year and added 12 salespeople to the team last year who have already contributed to our growth and will continue doing so this year.”

Betts said the firm aims to recruit even more sales staff in 2010, and he would be keen to double his existing team if possible.

“When we go into a recession I go into recruitment mode,” he added. “We are well financed with no bank loans and are planning to invest in our IT system overall and aim for organic growth this year. The pipeline is looking strong.”

He said CCS would acquire if the company was the right fit, but finding suitable candidates was a difficult job.

“There are companies for sale, but most of the owners have overvalued their firms with an unrealistic price,” he said. “I will always look out for acquisitions, but we are also keen to partner with the right people.”

January has also got off to a strong start for CCS, with sales in the first 10 days of the month growing at 30 per cent, compared to the same period last year.