The Correos Group delivered a record number of more than 165 million parcels in 2018 driven by booming e-commerce in Spain and after investing over €20 million in capacity expansion to handle the volume growth.
The number of parcels delivered through the Spanish postal operator’s core network surged by 61% to 106 million last year, which was a monthly average of close to 9 million packages. This included nearly 24 million items in November (10.5m) and December (13.2m), which was 22% more than in 2017.
The group’s separate express parcels subsidiary Correos Express also grew strongly last year, delivering about 59 million shipments, or about 5 million per month. This was 16% more than the previous year. The express operator delivered a total of 10.5 million packages in November and December.
Although 78% of the group’s parcel volumes are domestic, more than 20% are imports, mostly from China, Japan, Europe and the United States, and just over 1.5% are export shipments, destined for Europe and Asia.
Correos said these high volumes are a direct result of the dramatic growth of e-commerce in Spain, which is increasing by more than 20% per year in the last three years, according to government figures. The postal group said it remains the dominant logistics partner for e-retailers, delivering an estimated 49% of all e-commerce parcels to Spanish consumers.
Outlining its operational expansion measures to handle this volume growth, Correos said it has invested €20 million in the last few years, equipping its 18 logistics centres with automated sorting systems with capacity to process up to 6,000 parcels per hour. During 2018, new systems were installed in Valencia, Oviedo, Barcelona and Madrid, increasing total sorting capacity by 200,000 additional packages per day.
In addition, a new parcel management system was implemented enabling the company to plan volume flows and handling processes. The postal operator also expanded its delivery network, with more than 100 new routes for the peak Christmas season.
Moreover, Correos said it has made progress integrating its IT systems with those of major e-retailers, enabling full shipment tracking and advance delivery notification for recipients.
