As part of  renewal of focus in the company's core markets, John Shirley has been engaging old and new links in the Balkans.

In a recent visit to Serbia, Mr Shirley, the Managing Director, expressed "promising advances" in the relationship with the company's Serbian partners, who operate truck transportation between Britain and the Balkans with John Shirley Ltd.


He said: "Speaking with Serbian hauliers, we were able to explore new opportunities relating to UK-Serbia freight movements which will be able to come into effect almost immediately. With the growth of trade between Serbia and the rest of Europe, John Shirley Ltd will have at hand both experienced and trusted partners with whom our clients can place their trust."


John Shirley Ltd has traditionally specialised in the former Yugoslavia, initially arranging delivery of reconstruction materials and humanitarian aid following the conflict in the region. However, more recently the emphasis has evolved into the transportation of commercial goods between the UK, Serbia, and other adjoining countries.


Mr Shirley believed that it was important to visit partners and suppliers personally:


"If economic history demonstrates anything for businesses, it is important to monitor what happens on the ground and to avoid any information asymmetrical problems. What this trip demonstrated was that we have been able to re-establish, and in some cases, re-establish good relationships that will bode well in the future."