TNT Post, the international parcel division of PostNL, and Collect , the UK’s innovative parceldelivery and returns service, have jointly launched an international parcel delivery service for
small and medium-sized web retailers in response to e-commerce growth.With this new service, TNT Post is responding to the growing number of international ordersreceived by British SME e-retailers. Cross-border trade from the UK is soaring, with online salesfrom Greece, France, the Netherlands and Finland increasing by around 20 per cent, according toEMOTA, the European online trade organisation.
The new service connects businesses to 450 million e-shoppers worldwide and allows Britishretailers to send their international items worldwide with TNT Post by dropping them off for freeat the 4,800 local shops in the CollectPlus network across the UK. The stores are open till late, 7days a week responding to the needs of smaller e-retailers who carry out online orders throughoutthe week and wish to drop those off at a point nearby. Currently, over 80 per cent of the UKpopulation is within a mile from a CollectPlus location.
Collect enables online shoppers to collect and drop off parcels at local stores of theirchoice thus giving them more freedom and flexibility. It was founded in February 2009 as a jointventure between Yodel (formerly Home Delivery Network) and UK’s leading retail payment networkPayPoint and operates through a network of specially selected PayPoint Stores.
Bob van Ierland, Director International Parcels of TNT Post, said: “Already 30 per cent ofall online cross-border trade in Europe comes from the UK. In addition, a majority of onlineentrepreneurs in the UK plan to expand internationally within the coming 12 months. They will needaccess to international shipping services around the corner. This is why TNT Post’s globaldistribution capabilities, together with CollectPlus’ dense and accessible drop-off network makes astrong combination. We are delighted to work with CollectPlus to further support growth ofinternational e-commerce from the United Kingdom.’’
Mark Lewis, CEO of CollectPlus, added: “We’re proud to provide TNT Post access to our 4,800CollectPlus stores, making it easier for small businesses in the UK to benefit from the scale ofglobal delivery networks by simply being able to drop off their international packages and parcelsat their local corner shop.
“This is a great first step to developing an integrated international offer for CollectPluscustomers; it demonstrates our commitment to providing a convenient and reliable parcel service inthe UK but also recognises the growing need for businesses to operate on a global scale as well asa greater demand from consumers for more choice,” Lewis added.
