GLS: We are consistently driving forward
GLS expects 30-40 % more volume in the autumn and Christmas season. In 2020, the GLS Group has invested more than 150 million euros in the expansion of the European network.
“We are consistently driving forward the international capacity expansion and the sustainable orientation of our Europe-wide network”, explains Martin Seidenberg, CEO of the GLS Group. “This year has made it clear what an important role GLS plays in supplying the population. We see our investments as an important pillar of future-oriented and cross-border parcel logistics.”
In 2020, the GLS Group opened more than twenty new locations throughout Europe and expanded the capacities of the existing facilities by up to 50 percent. The largest successfully implemented projects include investments in European hubs, such as Essen, Barcelona, Budapest or Poznan. Group-wide, more than 2,500 additional employees in parcel handling and over 6,500 vehicles in delivery and long-distance transport are deployed at the peak season.
“Our goal is to also handle the additional volume of international parcels for our customers smoothly and with the high quality they are accustomed to”, says Seidenberg. “We have also pushed ahead with the digitalisation of our parcel logistics – among other things with the latest generation of hand-held scanners for simple and direct interaction with our customers during parcel delivery. For the international e-commerce business, we offer an uncomplicated, cross-border returns service to customers who target their online offering to different countries. With the international ShopReturnService, GLS thus underlines its European strength.”
At the same time, the peak season at all GLS locations in Europe, the USA and Canada is accompanied by corona-related measures, focusing on the safety of customers, employees and partners. Since the beginning of the pandemic, several million euros have already been invested, among other things in equipping the locations with appropriate protective equipment such as masks and disinfectants.
