Hermes Germany is expecting a new record in shipping volumes during the upcoming Christmasperiod with an estimated growth of over 10%, boosted by the continuous boom in online trade, with
additional 5,500 staff being deployed nationwide for the peak period by Hermes and its cooperatingpartners.Thanks to the thriving online trade, Hermes expects again a strong volume increase with morethan 35 million shipments to be sent across Germany and Austria during the pre-Christmas peakseason.
During the peak period, the company’s delivery fleet will also be expanded by up to 3,000additional vehicles.
“For Hermes, Christmas is by far the most important time of the year,” Dirk Rahn, DirectorOperations, Hermes Logistics Group Germany (HLGD), said. “Especially the last ten days beforeChristmas Eve are very busy: our delivery staff then ring at more than 1.5 million doors all overGermany.”
Traditionally, the company starts experiencing a considerable shipping volume increase fromNovember onwards. Therefore, it has already started to increase its transport and deliverycapacities to avoid bottlenecks. From the total of up to 5,500 additional full-time and part-timeemployees being hired across Germany, over 3,000 include delivery staff. Further jobs are beingcreated in warehouse logistics and in long-haul transportation, either on a basis of a fixed-termcontract or via temporary employment agencies bound by a collective labour agreement.
In the weeks prior to Christmas, up to 3,000 additional delivery vehicles will be deployed onbehalf of Hermes. On the long haul, Hermes Transport Logistics will additionally deploy 150 7.5 tontrucks and 300 swap body trailers, which corresponds to a 35% increase in transport capacity.
“With the expanded capacity, we are very well positioned even if the shipping volumes are higherthan expected,” Rahn added. “The only weak point is the weather. Especially around Christmas, theweather conditions are crucial for a smooth delivery process. If snow and ice block the roads, ourdelivery staff must shift down a gear as security remains a priority. But if December turns out tobe similarly mild as last year, nothing will jeopardise a successful Christmas season thisyear.”
