Finnish Posti Group is launching a “pickup point” network for parcels in the Baltic countries serving consumers and companies at shops and kiosks in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania with the aim to expand its international e-commerce activities.
The postal operator plans to establish the largest parcel shop network in the Baltic countries which will comprise 1,200 pickup points under Posti’s international brand “Itella”.
“We will introduce the pickup point concept, which has been tried and tested in Finland, in order to strengthen our parcel services in the Baltic countries. The pickup point network opens an excellent channel for Finnish companies and especially online stores to serve Baltic customers. Established at shops and kiosks, the new pickup points offer consumers generous opening hours and a convenient way of picking up parcels,” Riku Kuusisto, head of Posti's parcel services and the service point network, said.
Posti said its strategy is to “be the number one choice of its customers in logistics services in the Baltic countries”. With the parcel shop network, it strengthens its delivery chain in the Baltic countries from freight operations to warehousing and deliveries to the end-customers.
For consumers, Posti Group already offers a home delivery service in the Baltic countries. In Estonia, it also has a network of 85 parcel points.
Posti Group's Baltic pickup points are centrally located at partner companies including well-known chains such as Topo centras (Lithuania), Aibe (Lithuania and Latvia), Pastastacija (Latvia) and R-kiosk (Estonia). R-kiosks already offer postal services at 112 service points in Finland.
The first items were collected from the new pickup points in January. The parcel shop network will be further expanded in the Baltic countries with new partnerships, Posti stressed.
“E-commerce in the Baltic countries has increased at a double-digit rate in the last few years, and online shopping is increasing especially from overseas. In future, our pickup point network will also be available to international e-commerce,” Kuusisto added.
The new Itella parcel shops represent an alternative delivery option which online stores can offer their customers.
Posti Group has been present in the Baltic countries under the name Itella Logistics since 2006.
