Logistics

DHL is said to become the exclusive logistics partner for Amazon Fresh in Germany. Next month, the German logistics company will start with delivering fresh food to Amazon customers in Berlin. After the capital, the rest of the country should follow soon.

Just Cargo, a Dutch startup that calls itself the Uber for courier services, wants to expand in Europe. With franchisees in other countries, the company wants to link companies and drivers across Europe to pick up and deliver parcels.

DHL Express has launched a pilot project in Germany and the Netherlands, in which it uses cargo bicycles for inner-city deliveries. The two pilots of the City Hub concept launched in Frankfurt, Germany's fifth largest city, and Utrecht, a major Dutch city that wants to become climate-neutral by 2030.

After DPD Germany entered the food delivery service in Germany, Dutch postal company PostNL is following suit in the Netherlands. Starting next month, the company will deliver frozen meals and groceries every day of the week.

The German-based logistics company Rhenus Group has expanded to the United Kingdom by acquiring Network 4 Home Delivery. Rhenus already has over 500 locations across the world, but the recent acquisition represents Rhenus entering the British market for the first time.

DPD Germany is entering the food delivery market. The German  parcel and express service provider will deliver online groceries and other food products. HelloFresh is the first customer to use the service that's being named DPD Food. Later this year, the service will be available for other customers.

The Delivery Group, a fast-growing UK postal and ecommerce operator, saw its revenue increase by 61 percent during last year. Its turnover is now worth 200 million pounds, or about 235 million euros. The significant jump in revenue is mostly due to the acquisition of P2P Mailing last year.

At the end of this year, online retailer VidaXL will have the biggest distribution center in the Netherlands. In Venlo, a place in the most southern part of the country, a completely new international distribution center will arise that can manage 60,000 orders per day. The distribution center is part of VidaXL's international growth strategy, just like welcoming external vendors in its online store.

SendCloud, a Dutch cloud-based shipping service for online stores, is starting a European delivery network, so online retailers can easily ship parcels across Europe. The company wants to revolutionize the logistics process in Europe, which is still being hampered by restrictive rules.

Albert Heijn and Jumbo are the biggest supermarket chains in the Netherlands, both offline and online. With ecommerce, Albert Heijn is the market leader for many years now, but according to Jumbo, that might change within the next five years. But the companies compete online in different ways.

DPDgroup, the second largest international parcel delivery network in Europe, has taken full control of Wndirect, a global ecommerce parcels company. DPDgroup already was a shareholder in WnDirect for a couple of years, but has now acquired the logistics company.

Amazon has made history last week when it made its first drone delivery to a customer. The online retail company shipped a Fire TV stick and some popcorn 13 minutes after the customer in Cambridge, UK placed the order online.

Luxury fashion retailer Matches Fashion has introduced a 90-minute delivery service across London. Customers who live within the M25, the road that encircles almost all of Greater London, can place an order at 6.30 AM and have their order delivered to their homes at 8AM already. The service will launch next Monday.

Spring Global Delivery Solutions has launched International Returns solution. This is a new service, which gives retailers several return solutions supported by an international network. Spring's customers can make use of a customizable platform and additional services, while offering their consumers worldwide returns.

Deutsche Post DHL has reported the strongest third quarter in the company's history. Profits increased to 755 million euros during this period, while in the third quarter last year the operating profit was worth 197 million euros. The company also announced parcel shipments in Germany increased by 11 percent.