GLS has expanded its capacity in Italy by 30% this year with €2 million worth of investments ineight new depots and a new hub to cope with double-digit volume growth and end-of-year
peaks.The European parcels operator said this year’s expansion will also give it capacity for furthergrowth in the years ahead, including in the B2C market. Parent company Royal Mail noted in itsrecent half-year results that GLS had generated strong revenue growth in Italy so far this year,driven by rising B2C volumes.
Klaus Schädle, managing director of GLS Italy, told CEP-Research: “GLS Italy has invested morethan €2 million in the hub in Riano, depots and technology. This enables us to secure future growthand good quality. The network capacity has been increased by approximately 30%.
“In the weeks before Christmas our average daily volumes are often exceeded by up to 50%. What’smore, we have achieved double-digit growth in domestic and international shipment volumes in theyear as a whole,” he added.
In October, GLS opened a new 5,300 sqm hub in Riano, 40km north of Rome, with capacity to handleup to 6,000 parcels per hour. The company invested more than €1 million at the site, where some 60staff work.
The eight new depots were opened in Cerea, Prato, Limena, Orbassano, Conegliano, Brescia,Mergellina and Sondrio, while countless other depots relocated to larger buildings to cope withrising volumes.
“This means we can not only handle deliveries to retailers ready for the Christmas rush withhigh quality but also offer comfortable solutions such as our ‘E-ComService’ to the growing onlineretail sector,” Schädle pointed out. Some 9.2 million Italians are expected to shop online forChristmas this year.
GLS has 10 regional hubs and 140 branches across Italy, and operates 35 of these depots itselfwhile the rest are operated by franchisees. The company has a fleet of 410 long-distance trucks and3,000 delivery vans.
