Logistics company Wincanton has won a logistics outsourcing contract from French mail-ordergroup SERPIE, including B2B and B2C parcel deliveries.
SERPIE, with brands such as Homme Moderne, Femme Moderne, Confortable, Fashion, MV Prestige andProfipartner, has decided to concentrate on core business activities and to contract out logisticaloperations to an external supplier, a first for France and the mail-order sector.
SERPIE, with annual turnover in France of approximately €100 million, belongs to the leadingGerman mail-order group TCHIBO. Homme Moderne, which sells in France, Germany, Spain, Belgium andthe UK, has a yearly catalogue distribution of over 20 million and a European customer base of morethan 2 million.
“In line with company strategy, and based on the successful model introduced at TCHIBO Direct,we have decided to concentrate on core business and to contract out our entire logisticsoperations. Wincanton has produced a comprehensive, tailor-made programme that covers every aspectof our mail-order business”, stated SERPIE’s managing director Ralf Haasler.
Wincanton said it will double parcel handling capacity which currently lies at about 2,000 –3,000 parcels per hour. B2B distribution to retail outlets and shops will be provided from thecompany’s European operations base at Melun. B2C services will include order preparation andbilling, while Wincanton will also deal with all returned goods from customers and retailers.
“We are proud to have been chosen from amongst our competitors to assist the SERPIE group intheir development strategy. All national and international logistic operations will be managed froma single location. The technology we have put in place is flexible and of course allows us torespond to peaks in demand and seasonality. This new development fits perfectly into Wincantongroup strategy”, explained Fiona Durousseaud, Managing Director for Wincanton France.
Wincanton is also supporting the development of Kiala, the independent parcel collection pointsystem, in France by operating its national parcel sorting centre in Orleans and providingdistribution services.
