Bruce Barnard, Special Correspondent | Aug 17, 2012 11:57AM EDT
The U.K.’s Royal Mail’s announced its GLS European parcel delivery unit has teamed up with China’s ZJS Express to launch a China-Europe business-to-business service.
The Euro Business Parcel service will be pitched at less time-sensitive shipments with three to five working day delivery times from China to Europe. The existing China to the rest-of-the-world delivery market is largely made up of premium providers offering delivery within two to three days.
“China is a key trading partner for Europe. The China-to-Europe parcels market is growing rapidly,” said Mark Thomson, managing director International at state-owned Royal Mail.
“Last year, China was the biggest exporter of goods to the European Union. This presents us with a great opportunity to link our European operations with the ZJS Express network for the benefit of Chinese businesses exporting to Europe.”
ZJS, established in 1994, provides seven days-a-week delivery service at 3,000 locations across China, employing about 20,000 staff.
Amsterdam-based GLS is one of Royal Mail’s most profitable businesses, boosting 2011 earnings by 8 percent from a year earlier to $200 million on a 5 percent increase in revenue to $2.4 billion.
Contact Bruce Barnard at brucebarnard47@hotmail.com.
