PARCELNET CHANGES TO HERMES

Rebrand signals next stage for the development of home delivery specialists

Parcelnet, the UK's largest home delivery courier network, is to be rebranded as Hermes following the decision last year to integrate the company into a newly-formed European services division. The move is part of an ongoing strategy to build a sustainable international business and create the first cross-border business-to-consumer delivery solution. Direct catalogue retailers JD Williams and Lands' End have become the first companies to use the new service, with consumer goods collected in the UK for onward delivery to private addresses across Germany.

This development will see the company become an integral part of a new international operation that combined already handles 22 per cent of all home deliveries across Europe, and is designed to take advantage of a growing market that is forecasted to almost double in value to €10.5bn by 2016. Sister-company Hermes, the second largest delivery service in Germany and a leading operator in Austria, is working with other key businesses within France and Italy to create a single branded presence across all major European markets.

The rebranding represents the next stage of the newly-named Hermes' development, enabling it to benefit from greater investment in IT and infrastructure. For example, electronic signature capture will be introduced across all services to meet customer demand for real-time tracking of parcels, and a new head office and a national hub will open later this year. A wider service offering will also be introduced including the cross-border delivery solution and a next-day service in the UK.

The Hermes business will build on its long-standing success within the UK by tapping into extensive resources, expertise and best practise of its European counterparts, whilst maintaining a unique local and friendly doorstep approach. This will support the provision of high-quality competitively-priced home delivery services that meet the diverse needs of retailers and consumers.

Carole Woodhead, CEO of Hermes in the UK commented: "Adopting the Hermes brand name represents a new journey for the company and is yet another exciting step in the evolution of our business. As an integral part of the largest privately-owned Pan-European delivery network, we are already seeing benefits in terms of investment, business synergies and product development, enabling us to provide more delivery options and an enhanced service to our customers."

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