DHL Express France is targeting 10% growth in 2010 and sees no impact from the forthcoming saleof the domestic business, according to its top executive.
The growth would follow a 10% revenue decline to about €400 million in 2009, Florence Noblot,Managing Director of DHL International Express France, told the French newspaper Les Echos in aninterview. She stressed that the planned sale of its heavily loss-making French domestic businesswill have no impact on the parcel deliveries in the country.
As the French leading player in international air express with a 30% market share, DHL Expressis anticipating a sharp rebound in its business activity. “For 2010, we expect volume growth of9-11% both for import and export shipments and a 9-10% growth in revenues,” Noblot stated.
This figure is in line with the forecast published by the World Trade Organization (WTO) at theend of May that foresees a 10% growth in world trade for 2010 and is higher than the resultsrecorded by the French customs for the first quarter with a 5.2% increase in exports and a 3.4%rise in imports.
The financial results of the first quarter 2010 reflect a revival in international trade, Noblotexplained. Generating 75% of its revenues from exports, DHL Express International France hasrecorded an increase in deliveries especially to Germany, UK, Italy, Spain and the US with risingtrade flows in the high-tech sector, automotive industry and consumer goods. This trend shouldbecome stronger by the end of the year thanks to the dynamic industries such as fashion and thepharmaceutical sector.
On the import side, the shipment flow also increased over the first three months of the year,mainly from China, Italy (luxury goods), Germany (air express, high tech), United States and theUK. “Besides continuing growth in deliveries from Asia and China in particular, we expect in 2010 asurge in imports from the Eastern European countries of Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria,”Noblot added.
When asked about the impact that the sale of DHL domestic business would have on parceldeliveries in France, Noblot declared: “At DHL Express, the French parcel business and theinternational air express activities have always been separated from each other. We have our ownintegrated network, which counts 38 sites nine of which are located at airports and an own fleetwith 600 vehicles for final deliveries. This transaction will thus have no impact at all on ourbusiness activity.”
