SNIFF the heady sea air of success right here in York.

It emanates from a global shipping company called Logistics Solutions International Ltd.

In just two years it has generated a £2.5 million turnover from its sleek office suite in Apollo House in Eboracum Way off Heworth Green.

And within the next year the impetus could carry sales to a massive £5 million.

And all that, without being in earshot of a single seagull.

Its managing director is Charlotte Denney, 35, York born and bred, who always had a talent for administration, having worked in commercial insurance for about 15 years.

She got together with Paul Williams, who for the past 21 years has worked in global logistics and freight management in managerial roles.

Charlotte recognised that they could start their own venture given his experience in logistics and her financial background.

The formula worked. It didn't take long before they recruited three other people, one of them Charlotte's sister, Sophie Wenyon.

Their job is to arrange shipment of commercial goods all around the world.

Clients include high street retailers, Plcs, exporters of meat, cars and machinery; importers of metals, plastics, food and textiles.

They not only organise the complicated process of shipments but also the supply chain.

Charlotte says: "Container goods come into our many UK-managed warehouses including facilities in Manchester, Felixstowe, Birmingham and Southampton and are distributed to customers’ stores.

"We also have our own containers which customers can share. In other words we manage the transfer from the shipper all the way to user."

But it is not just a dry, mechanical exercise of logistics. The firm also offers the world-savvy necessary for the client to make wise choices.

Paul says: "We make it our business to know how world issues can affect the economy in different countries.

“Too often freight forwarders present to customers costs without explanation. We make it our job to be aware of cause and effect and to avoid extra costs if we can.

"For example we kept a watching brief on events in Egypt because had shipping been affected in the Suez Canal it would have had a huge effect on our customers’ lead times.

“It never happened but we had a plan B which we would have immediately activated to save our clients money. I suppose we are very unusual in this but if you care for your customers they in turn remain loyal.”

It is one of the reasons that Paul regularly travels to the Far East, Hong Kong, China and Dubai to meet both customers and shippers.

One such trip which brought huge benefits to retail customers importing their foreign-made stock came with a trip by Paul to Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Charlotte says: “While there he physically loaded containers to show the clients how to maximise the available container space. Where they were packing 6,000 garments, he showed how they could pack in 9,000, thereby saving them money.”

So how come they are making such progress so far away from the sea?

Paul says: “Gone are the days when this business needed to be based at ports. Now it is largely paperless with computer links.to all the authorities.

“Besides, York is very central and it is a great place for customers to visit. And we can’t ignore that there is a big potential customer base in York and North and East Yorkshire. We want everyone here to understand that we export and import anything from toilet rolls to whole buildings, machinery, boats, even coffins. We once even had a chariot imported from Sri Lanka to London.

“We bring in a lot of tea and import and export tyres from the Far East. We have strong global partners, having built good relationship with all our agents based throughout the planet.”

And at the present rate of expansion Charlotte will soon have to recruit two more people to cope with the demand.

Their ultimate dream? Charlotte smiles and says: “In five or six years time we want to own our own warehouses and employ perhaps more than 100 people.

“But that will be when our ship truly comes in.”