Littles
Scottish chauffeur drive business Little’s is again leading the way by being the first to introduce a single use plastic ban in all their chauffeur driven cars. Already known for their innovative outlook, Little’s are replacing all plastic bottled water with CanO Water, an infinitely recyclable alternative to single use plastic. CanO Water cans are made of aluminium which contains more recycled substances than any other drinks packaging. The cans offer resealable ring pulls, providing convenience for their clients and preventing waste.
Heather Matthews, Managing Director of family run firm Little’s commented: “As a conscientious business, we knew we had to become plastic free as every corporation and person plays a huge part in protecting our planet. We calculated that on average Little’s were using over 35,000 bottles of water annually and by switching to CanO Water we would reduce this to zero. This is hugely impactful for us as a business and much kinder to our environment. We want to continue offering our clients the amenities they would expect when travelling by luxury chauffeur driven car and this allows us to do so in the most sustainable way possible.”
Little’s move to ‘green’ water will double purchasing costs however this will not result in additional costs for their customers. The company wants to make a statement to all its clients and industry peers that they must work together as a community and do more to reduce the transport industry’s environmental footprint. Heather Matthews believes that they must build on their current ‘eco’ standard which has led to 40% of their vehicles in Scotland being hybrid. This move to CanO Water is not only to prove commitment to sustainability but to make looking after the environment a part of her family business’s DNA.
2019 has already been a record-breaking year as the company has seen turnover increase by 34 percent with profits up by over 35 percent. Little’s has recently been crowned ‘Business of the Year’ twice, at both the Scottish Women’s Awards and the Women’s Enterprise Scotland Awards. The business is also a finalist for Established Business of the Year and, Managing Director, Heather Matthews, as Business Woman of the Year at The Business Women Scotland Awards which take place in November.
As a family firm committed to innovating in all aspects of the business, Little’s have been granted Innovate UK funding for a Knowledge Transfer Partnership project with the University of the West of Scotland. This 2-year initiative will be used to further develop their transformational chauffeur drive software which will meet the needs of a new generation of businesses and luxury travellers.
Notes to editors
Little’s
Established in 1966, Little’s is an award-winning family business headquartered in Glasgow. The company owns & operates a fleet of forty cars in Scotland and facilitates the booking of chauffeur driven services across the UK and Worldwide through a network of trusted and vetted partners.
The company specialises in corporate travel, including airport transfers, financial services roadshows, conference delegate transport and large-scale events. Private sightseeing tours are a huge growth market for the company, who have specialist touring chauffeurs and tour designers, creating bespoke and memorable trips around Scotland for clients from North America and Asia.
The company has a wealth of experience having worked with international figures, heads of states and large corporate enterprises, as well as providing chauffeur services for large events including the recent TEDSummit2019 in Edinburgh, Shanghai Grand Prix, 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Ryder Cup and the Open Golf Championships.