DHL Parcel, part of Deutsche Post DHL Group, is further expanding its presence in Europe with plans to establish its own parcel network in Austria by 2016 and investment to exceed €100 million.
The move follows the launch of Deutsche Post DHL’s European parcel division last year which now covers several European countries, apart from Germany, including the Benelux, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Austria will soon be part of this expansion and Deutsche Post’s strategy to tap into European markets with ‘great e-commerce potential’.
DHL’s plans call for investments in a three-digit million range in infrastructure and setting up recipient services such as parcel shops and Packstations in Austria, tailoring the services precisely to the requirements of e-commerce.
Additional delivery options are to follow, enabling Austrian consumers to make their own choices about how to receive their parcels. The focus will be placed on ensuring that as many parcels as possible are delivered on the first attempt so that the yellow ‘absence’ cards for the recipients can be avoided.
An enhanced service offering will also see reduced delivery times from Germany to Austria with the online purchases from Germany that are so popular with Austrian consumers to arrive at their recipients on average only one day after dispatch.
At the same time, DHL is opening up diverse opportunities for the Austrian economy in the long run as thousands of new jobs are due to be created in the country over the next two years through the new parcel network. It also enables retailers to profit from the growth potential of international e-commerce for ‘greater long-term business success’.
DHL Parcel has already taken the first step by moving into its Vienna headquarters, where Günter Birnstingl, Managing Director Austria, will oversee the network building up during the coming months together with his team.
“DHL Parcel is setting the standard for highest quality, unique customer focus and excellent services in the highly competitive German parcel market. And soon, we will able to offer this to Austria’s economy and consumers as well,” Jürgen Gerdes, CEO of Post – eCommerce – Parcel (PeP) division, said. “As the engine behind e-commerce, we have become a key player in an increasing number of countries. It’s now time to make e-commerce even easier, faster and more secure than ever before for everyone in the Austrian market.”
