GeoPost subsidiary DPD Masterlink, part of the French group’s DPD parcels network, is to open a newsorting centre in Gdansk as part of its plans to expand through Poland.
The 5,000 sqm facility, which DPD Masterlink is to build in the first half of next year,will contain 55 courier gates and 11 loading docks, says the company, which plans to buy land inand around other Polish cities to build more depots.
“An extensive and modern network of branches will allow us to develop internationalactivity,” said Masterlink director Rafal Nawloka. “The brand change from Masterlink to DPD, whichmeans building a new international image for our company, is presently the main direction in whichDPD Masterlink is heading.”
“We want to be not only a significant player on the Polish market, but also takeadvantage of DPD Masterlink’s strong brand position in Europe and increase the company’s shareof the international services segment,” Nawloka added.
DPD Masterlink opened a second Warsaw express branch in November, to meet a 40% year-on-yearincrease in deliveries to and from the capital. It now has five international parcel hubs inPoland: two in Warsaw and one each in Katowice, Poznan and Wroclaw. The Gdansk depot would make itsix.
The company increased revenues by 41%, and volumes by 46%, in the first half of this year,on the same period in 2005. Masterlink said it would complete its re-branding to DPD early nextyear, which it hopes will transform it into a competitive international player from a domesticlogistics operator.
