Logistics

PostNord and Zalando have signed a three year logistics contract, thereby extending the partnership that started when Zalando entered the Nordic market eight years ago. Until mid-2021, PostNord will be the sole supplier of logistics solutions to Zalando in all of PostNord's four markets in the Nordic region.

The Otto Group is looking for a strategic partner for essential parts of its parcel delivery service Hermes. The German retail group is even ready to sell a majority stake in Hermes. And that might be interesting for major ecommerce companies such as Amazon and Alibaba, looking to gain a foothold in the European ecommerce market.

Swiss Post will get some serious competition in the booming parcel delivery market in Switzerland. DHL, the subsidiary of Deutsch Post, will build a network of 1,000 pick-up points in the Central-European country. The goal is to become the number two in Switzerland, just after Swiss Post.

Bol.com, the popular Dutch online department store, made some changes to its paid Select model. Subscribers will now get free delivery on all products, regardless of the order value. Previously, Bol.com Select offered free delivery only on 300.000 selected products.

Customers of Marks & Spencer can now return their online orders at one of many Simply Food stores across the United Kingdom. Previously, consumers already had the possibility to collect their online orders at these stores, but now returning them can happen at the same location.

It's not uncommon for online shoppers in Switzerland to pay a shipping fee for their online order. This year, free shipping is, just like in previous years, still the exception. Less than a fifth of the top-selling online stores in Switzerland send orders without any shipping costs.

UK Mail will become DHL Parcel UK. After Deutsche Post DHL Group acquired the British parcels and mail company in December 2016, it has now become time for UK Mail to fully integrate into the group's network of European parcel companies.

Fashion retailer H&M is experimenting with same day delivery. Currently, this delivery method is only being tested with customers who live in Berlin, but chances are H&M will roll it out in other cities or even countries, when the pilot is a success.

Belgian postal company Bpost has raised 650 million euros. The transaction will serve to refinance the acquisition of Radial Holdings it completed in November of last year. Bpost is more and more becoming a full ecommerce logistics company.

The Spanish startup HomyHub has, together with national postal service Correos, developed a service, called Safe Delivery, which allows consumers to receive their packages in the garage, without having to be at home. By using an app, consumers can control, monitor and manage access to their garage.

Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn is currently experimenting with a smart door lock, so groceries can be delivered to a customer's place, even when the customer isn't at home. The test is part of Albert Heijn Online Labs, which invents and develops new concepts to improve the supermarket's service.

Swedish postal service PostNord has signed a deal with Wish, so customers will no longer have to pay VAT or handling fees upon the arrival of parcels to Sweden. Instead, shoppers will now be charged VAT at the point of purchase. As a result, Swedish customers will get their order faster than before.

Ecommerce giant Amazon is massively destroying returned items and new products. And through Amazon, external vendors also get rid of their unsold goods. All kinds of products are destroyed in German logistics warehouses on a large scale, such as refrigerators, washing machines, cell phones, mattresses and more.

DPD Germany is using eight fully-electric tricycles for parcel delivery in city centers. In Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne the postal company is using so-called TRIPLs which should be able to drive right up to the front door of a customer without any problems.

UK-based postal operator Whistl has acquired Parcelhub and its sister company Mail Workshop. With the acquisitions, Whistl wants to accelerate its expansion in the parcels and fulfilment markets. Both businesses will continue to operate under their respective brands.