Shopping journeys help Eurotunnel to post record revenues

More trucks bringing fruit and vegetables, online shopping and flowers into Britain via the Channel tunnel helped Eurotunnel to post record revenues of €993.1m (£834.8m) for 2012.

Overall sales were up 14 per cent on the previous year, helped also by a 2 per cent increase in revenues from Eurostar tickets as the Olympics and Queen's Jubilee encouraged tourists and athletes to travel into the capital on the train. Almost 20 million passengers journeyed through the Channel last year, but freight in Eurotunnel's shuttles saw the greatest growth, up 16 per cent, which the firm said put it "way ahead of its rivals as world leader in piggy-back transport".

Perishable supermarket supplies were behind most of the growth, but courier vans moving online shopping orders between the UK and France were also up, Eurotunnel said.

It expects new Eurostar "holiday" services taking tourists direct from London to Provence and the Côte d'Azur in the south of France to push demand up again this year.