GLS has acquired a franchisee in the economic metropolis of Turin to expand its directly-ownednetwork in Italy.
The Royal Mail-owned European parcels operator has bought the Turin South depot from its localfranchisee for an undisclosed sum. The existing management and staff will in future be employed byits investment arm, GLS Enterprise. Further information about the depot size or operationalresources was not available.
The takeover means that GLS now owns both the Turin North and Turin South depots and can thusserve Italy’s third-largest economic metropolis, which is home to Fiat and other automotive firms,with directly-controlled operations.
“We have an experienced team in the Turin South depot that knows the local situation and marketrequirements very well. With this team we will continue to offer customers reliable good quality,”emphasised Klaus Schädle, GLS Italy managing director.
GLS already acquired the Turin North depot in March 2011. “We operate our own locations innorthern Italy above all,” Schädle explained. “Following the latest acquisition we are servingTurin and the surrounding region completely from one source.”
GLS now owns 35 of its 134 depots in Italy, with the other 99 sites owned by local franchisees.The parcels company has acquired several other franchisees in the last two years, including Imola,Rimini and Cremona.
Despite the economic crisis in Italy, GLS stressed that it is continuing to invest in thecountry. In August it opened a new 12,000 sqm hub in Milan with increased sorting capacity fordomestic and international shipments. In total, GLS Italy operates a network of 10 hubs and 134depots with a fleet of 3,235 vehicles.
