Swiss Post has acquired a 51% stake in “notime”, a technology start-up company providing bicycle courier services for rapid same-day final-mile deliveries.
With “notime”, consignments are delivered on the same day or within a few hours to recipients in major Swiss cities.
By means of this investment, Swiss Post said it is positioning itself in a fast-growing market and is thus meeting customers’ needs for ever faster and more flexible delivery in urban areas.
The company explained that with its majority stake it is occupying a niche that will develop into a relevant market in the foreseeable future. Customers, especially those living in urban areas, increasingly want to receive the goods they have ordered on the same day. “It is vital for Swiss Post to invest early in this growth market in the very competitive logistics sector and take a leading role.”
In Switzerland, the percentage of priority consignments has increased sharply. And the demand for even faster and more flexible delivery continues to rise.
“With our majority stake in 'notime', we want to play a leading role in shaping this business segment in Switzerland,” explained Dieter Bambauer, Head of PostLogistics. “We can already see in cities and conurbations that providing fast and eco-friendly delivery will give us a key competitive advantage. That’s why we are investing in a model that fulfils the wishes of online customers perfectly.”
Swiss Post has already worked successfully with “notime” in the past. The Swiss technology company has developed a platform to which online sellers can easily connect. This means that everything from placing an order to route planning and delivery of goods on the same day can be automated. The goods ordered online through “notime” are then delivered directly to the customer’s front door in an environmentally friendly way via bike courier.
The company “notime” is Switzerland’s leading provider for this service: so Swiss Post is not just investing in logistics, but also in the successful IT platform used by “notime”. The Swiss technology company “notime” was founded in December 2014 and its headquarters are in Zurich.
The parties have agreed not to disclose the amount of Swiss Post’s investment in “notime”.
