Birmingham firm proves we’re all still (Bash Street) kids at heart.
Whether you’re a youngster or just a big kid at heart, a mention of the Beano can’t fail to conjure up happy childhood memories and a simpler time when Dennis the Menace, Minnie the Minx and Roger the Dodger kept us entertained for hours.
And anyone looking for proof of the enduring popularity of the iconic comic, which celebrated its 80th birthday last month, need look no further than a Kidderminster-based logistics firm.
PGS Global Logistics, in Finepoint Way, is currently housing more than half a million Beano and Dandy albums from Dundee-based DC Thomson Media at its Birmingham depot, ready for distributing around the country in time to fill stockings at Christmas.
The weekly Beano comic was first published on 30 July 1938 and its yearly annual has been published every year since 1939, regularly hitting the top spot as the highest selling annual in the UK.
PGS Global Logistics, which is a member of the Pallet-Track network, will start shipping the annuals to shops such as WH Smith and The Works in the late summer and early autumn.
David Bayliss, commercial director at PGS Global Logistics, said: “It’s amazing these stories about a young lad and his dog getting up to no good have lasted so long!
“The annuals are coming in by the pallet load at the moment and we will start to send them out to distribution outlets around September and October. We’ll be sending them all over the country, which shows the legend of these comics still lives on.”
Paul Egan, head of operations for magazines at DC Thomson Media, said, “Our Beano and Dandy annuals continue to be hugely popular which is no surprise given we sell a copy of the weekly Beano comic every 17 seconds in the UK. Adults and children alike love Beano whether that’s for the rib-tickling comic strips or warm nostalgic feelings it conjures up.”
PGS Global Logistics was one of the earliest Pallet-Track members and covers the CV postcodes for the network, which started operating in 2004. Nigel Parkes, Pallet-Track founder and managing director, said: “If you’re of a certain age, a mention of the Beano or Dandy will trigger all sorts of happy memories and the fact we are still helping to move thousands of annuals all over the country is proof of their lasting appeal.
“We’re sure they will be bringing plenty of smiles to people’s faces over the festive season, whether they are kids or just big kids!”