DHL Express Sweden has expanded its recently-created network of 1,100 Servicepoints for consumerparcel services through an agreement with Scandinavian retail group Reitan Servicehandel. The
expanded service is a key part of DHL Express Nordic’s strategy for 2008.Under the deal, Swedish consumers and SMEs will be able to drop off or pick up their parcelsat DHL Servicepoints within 7-Eleven stores and Pressbyran newspaper kiosks and shops locatedacross the country, DHL Express Sweden said in a statement.
Reitan Servicehandel operates 72 7-Eleven shops in Sweden in Stockholm, Gothenburg,Helsingborg and Malmo, while there are 318 Pressbyran outlets across the country attracting some1.4 million customer visits a week, according to the group’s website.
“For us it is important to offer our customers a good service. Through the introduction ofDHL Servicepoints at more outlets we can offer our customers an improved service,” said TorbjörnSvedenklint, Reitan Servicehandel business development manager.
DHL Express already has a network of 1,100 Servicepoints in Sweden operated as shop-in-shopservices under contracts with a wide range of retailers. Private customers can hand in or collecttheir parcels at the Servicepoints.
Consumers sending parcels can book the shipment with DHL online and receive a shipment numberto attach to the parcel. Payment is made directly to the retailer. Customers receiving parcels areinformed by SMS or e-mail that their item is ready for collection.
Furthermore, all shipments sent via Servicepoints are all carbon-neutral since they areautomatically included within the DHL CO2 emissions compensation scheme.
“With Reitan Servicehandel as a partner we can offer our private and business customersbetter access to our services. The outlets have long opening times and central locations. Thisenables us to offer our customers parcel drop-off and collection at times which suit them,” saidLars Jordahn, managing director of DHL Express Sweden.
The expanded service is a key part of DHL Express Nordic’s strategy for 2008 to strengthenits leading position in the region, said Martin Södergård, managing director of DHL Express Nordic.
The key aims were to intensify customer dialogue and make DHL Express more attractive as apotential partner by investing in service and improving access to products. “For me the Nordicregion is a very exciting region because we have the chance to offer our customers a comprehensiveproduct portfolio,” he commented. DHL Express Nordic, with 6,000 employees, covers Denmark,Norway, Sweden, Finland and the three Baltic states.
Södergård, who took up the Nordic post last year and is a member of the DHL Express Europeanmanagement team, has held various senior positions at DHL Express, including that of head of DHLAviation in Belgium and head of European hubs & gateways. From 2005 to 2007, he was responsiblefor planning, building and gradual operational launch of the new Leipzig hub.
