TNT Express France expects boom in online order deliveries

TNT Express France expects to triple its home delivery volumes this Christmas thanks to the e-commerce boom in France, and handle a total of about six million express parcels in December.

For the Christmas period this year, the number of online orders is expected to be much higher than for the same period in 2006. The French association Fevad (Federation of e-commerce and mail order trading) expects a turnover of EUR 3 billion in online shopping in France this year which would amount to a 22 pct increase compared to Christmas 2006. Some traders are expecting a tenfold increase in online sales.

TNT Express France, which is the delivery partner for about 150 online retail sites, said it has adapted the capacity and resources of its operational network to cope with the strong rise in the quantity of parcels to be delivered to consumers.

TNT will ensure express delivery of presents on Saturday 22 December as well as Monday 24 December. As part of the special service, TNT will offer a 24-hour delivery service until Christmas Eve.

This innovative service ensures maximum comfort especially when it comes to home delivery, TNT said. If consumers are not at home at the time of delivery, the parcels are automatically transported to the next Relais Colis parcel drop-off point. The recipient is then informed by SMS where the item can be picked up. TNT uses a network of 3,800 Relais Colis networks.