TNT Express to be logistics partner for InPost parcel terminals in Italy
Polish parcel locker terminal manufacturer Integer.pl Group has said TNT Express Italy will be its logistics partner as it introduces its machines into Italy. The company said its cooperation agreement with TNT Express will support plans for 400 of its “easyPack”-branded automated self-service parcel pick-up and drop-off points to be installed in Italy by the end of June.
Up to 1,000 terminals could be in place by the end of 2015 under the firm’s plans.
Customers using TNT’s delivery services will be able to opt to have items dropped off at easyPack machines rather than home or business addresses.
Integer.pl said the machines would be integrated into the TNT network along with the 1,200 TNT outlets and 100 branches of the company in Italy.
The partnership with TNT in Italy follows on from the partnership deal Integer.pl agreed with major Italian e-commerce retailer Banzai back in February, which should see Banzai’s web businesses E-Price and SaldiPrivati as the first e-commerce websites to offer delivery to easyPack machines.
“Innovative”
Tony Jakobsen, managing director of TNT Express Italy, which has been restructuring and streamlining its business over the past nine months, said he saw parcel terminals as a “highly innovative solution” that will mean more convenience for e-commerce consumers.
“This agreement is a key point in the TNT Express strategy to provide services dedicated to the Italian e-commerce market,” he said.
“This will benefit TNT Express by improving the flexibility of our operational processes. This established partnership will also be a valuable solution for the business-to-business market, as it will allow a reduction in the number of administrative staff needed to support shipments.”
Integer.pl said the e-commerce market in Italy has reached a “very high” level of maturity, with growth breaking records every year.
E-commerce sales reached EUR 11.3bn in 2013, up 18% on the previous year, the company said citing data from eMarketer research.
Rafał Brzoska, the Integer.pl Group CEO, said: “We see great prospects for e-commerce in Italy. The first 400 machines will be deployed on the Apennine Peninsula by the end of June, but this is only the beginning of our expansion. Ultimately we want to run 1,000 easyPack machines in the Italian market. The partnership with TNT Express is crucial for us, as an experienced partner they provide the highest standards of expertise and quality of service.”
