One of Bermuda's leading shipping companies has seen an increase in business from people leaving the Island as the recession takes hold.

Mailboxes Unlimited general manager Cindy Simmons said that outbound shipping had been on the rise over the past 18 months with companies shedding staff due to the economic downturn.

But she said that overall trade had suffered with fewer people on the Island and less money being spent, particularly in the last year-and-a-half.

"Over the last 18 months or so we have seen a general increase in outbound shipping," she said.

"I think it is because there are more people leaving the Island."

Ms Simmons said that most of Mailboxes' clientele left at the beginning or end of the summer when the fiscal year for some companies came to a close and the schools closed, but generally there was a trend of people leaving the Island.

She said that despite this traditionally being a quiet period, the company was busy with giving quotations and had seen a lot of interest in its courier shipments due to its competitive prices.

Another move Ms Simmons had noticed was towards businesses closing their offices in Bermuda and shipping their files and documents overseas.

In the meanwhile, Mailboxes had been forced to go back to the drawing board and become more creative with new ideas and markets to sell the business to and expand into, with a focus on the likes of its MiniShippers and US Express services through mailshoots and e-mails.