Kiala enters Austrian B2C parcel market
The Belgian-based parcels operator Kiala has entered the Austrian B2C parcels market, intensifying competition for Austrian Post.
The company has built up a network of 290 parcel pick-up points in kiosks, shops, petrol stations and other retail outlets, and plans to add about 100 more by next spring, Kiala Austria managing director Michael Zakoucz told Austrian media.
Customers are informed by SMS, e-mail or phone that a parcel is ready for collection at a nearby “Kiala Point”. Transportation has been contracted out to Salzburg-based newspaper distribution company PGV Salzburg.
The operator’s first major customers in Austria are the mail order companies La Redoute and Klingel. Zakoucz said that Kiala is aiming to gain a market share of 13-15 pct in 2008.
Kiala, which is currently active in Benelux and France and has a test operation in the UK, increased turnover by 21 pct to EUR 25 million in 2006 and handled some 10 million parcels. It claims a network of 4,700 Kiala Points in Europe.
The company, whose investors include funds linked to La Poste and TNT, has also recently appointed a country manager for Russia and a new manager for Spain.
