Retailers do not yet know if they will face a new tax on online deliveries after the suggested measure was absent from today’s Budget. There have been rumours of such a tax since last summer with the idea resurfacing in national press at the weekend. Mona Bitar, EY UK & (more…)
Whistl has promoted Michael Boulton to the position of managing director international at the firm. He has previously held a variety of sales and development roles during his last six years at Whistl and has also helped to drive the company’s international expansion. His most recent role has seen him (more…)
While the rise in parcel delivery is obvious given the impact of the pandemic, latest figures from DPD show that B2C delivery in particular saw a big rise in 2020. DPD’s 2020 year-end results, announced today, showed that it delivered 1.9 billion parcels worldwide in 2020, the equivalent of 7.5 (more…)
DX is to invest £4 million over the next six months, completing a £10 million investment programme it started in 2019. The programme has focused on improving IT systems, expanding and upgrading the group’s networks and further sortation mechanisation at its hubs and depots. £2.7 million was invested in the (more…)
Outdoor retailer Mountain Warehouse has signed a new ten-year open book contract with logistics supplier Clipper, which will begin this spring. Operating from Clipper’s Peterborough distribution centre, Clipper will provide services including order fulfilment and returns management for Mountain Warehouse. The contract will make use of Clipper’s automation and robotics (more…)
Home improvement giant Wickes has signed a new, three-year delivery contract with CitySprint, extending a partnership which first began in 2016. The company will provide single and two-person local delivery services of stock held in more than 200 Wickes stores in the UK, delivered in pre-advised delivery windows to customers (more…)
DHL has partnered with Volvo to trial an electric truck over longer than normal distances. The trial will see a fully electric vehicle, with gross combination weights up to 60 tonnes, used across the roughly 150km distance between two DHL Freight logistics terminals in Sweden. Starting in March, it will (more…)
Royal Mail has rolled out telemetry technology to its fleet, offering the potential to reduce carbon emissions. The system from Trimble will be introduced to 11,000 small vans before the end of this year. The technology monitors the driver’s acceleration, speed, turning and braking patterns and provides them with real-time (more…)
Deutsche Post DHL is introducing new machines in Germany which will allow customers to collect parcels. Called “Poststations”, the machines offer the majority of services which would be available from a post office. These include selling postage materials and the ability to deposit parcels to send. Within a few months (more…)
H&M has introduced a new low carbon, customisable parcel delivery service in the Netherlands. The service from Swedish courier Budbee allows customers to specify the delivery time of the order themselves and track the package in real time. The parcels are delivered in the evening, helping the courier to achieve (more…)
Multinational retailer Auchan is tapping into the delivery network of start-up Glovo in Romania to offer one-hour delivery. The service is available in the 18 Romanian cities where Auchan operates. Around 4000 products are hosted on the Glovo platform, including grocery, cosmetics and garden care. Glovo’s group of couriers collect (more…)
PostNL is allowing customers to specify a preference for where to deliver parcels when they are not at home. Parcel recipients can choose from delivery to neighbours, to a PostNL drop off point or specify a location near the home, such as a shed. The option can be specified through (more…)
Heineken is streamlining its supply chain by adding new demand planning capabilities which will allow it to automatically forecast future orders. The brewer will deploy Blue Yonder’s Luminate platform in five of its largest operating companies around the world. The technology uses automation to provide unique demand projections, taking account (more…)
Polish marketplace Allegro has introduced a new same-day delivery service and built a new distribution centre in Warsaw after Amazon announced it was launching a dedicated site in the country. The company is building the new 36,500 square foot site outside of the city at the A2 Warsaw Park. Making (more…)
Hermes and Ford have trialled a new delivery model which combines delivery vans with pedestrian couriers. In the trial, taking place in central London, loaded delivery vans use Ford’s software to identify safe and convenient locations to park. The drivers use a simple smartphone app which integrates this technology with (more…)
Amazon and GLS have both announced new initiatives in the Netherlands which will reduce their CO2 emissions. Amazon has signed an agreement with Dutch energy provider Eneco to buy energy from its new offshore wind farm. The ecommerce giant has agreed to buy energy from the Hollandse Kust Noord site, (more…)
Royal Mail is building a second major parcel hub in the UK as it seeks to transform to a parcel delivery-led business. The UK mail incumbent began work last week on the 840,000 square foot site in Daventry in England’s Midlands region. When fully operational in 2023, the site will (more…)
Lifestyle brand Urban Outfitters has introduced a new automated fulfilment solution in a US warehouse, after a successful pilot in the UK. The FlashPick system from TGW automates piece picking. When entering the warehouse, cartons are emptied into totes and transported to the storage warehouses. They are then transported to (more…)
Royal Mail workers in the Communication Workers Union (CWU) have agreed a new deal with the carrier after more than a year of disputes. Eligible CWU members voted 91.5% in favour of the new agreement reached between the carrier and union. The agreement includes pay increases effective in April last (more…)
DHL Parcel has become the latest delivery company to introduce electric vans in London as it seeks to hit its zero emissions target. The 14 Renault ZE Masters will operate from DHL’s Docklands depot, with a range of 75 miles. The vehicles can support a full day of deliveries in (more…)