DHL see Middle Eastern promise

DHL Express has performed better in the Middle East than the rest of the world during the downturn, with the company posting an increase in volumes in the region year-to-date, said an executive of the firm, reports Emirates Business. The article continues:

“If we compare the Middle East with the rest of the world, our performance was very good. The year-to-date volumes in the Middle East, other than Iraq, were up around 1% on a year earlier, while our weight is up 11%,” Garry Kemp, managing director (Middle East, North Africa, Turkey) DHL Express, told Emirates Business.

DHL Express is the courier and parcel delivery arm of the global logistics firm DHL.

“Given the changing needs of our customers in the past year, a change in product mix and a higher demand for day-definite logistics solutions have contributed to the results,” he said.

For the next year as well, he has optimistic projections for the UAE and the region even though revenues have come down a bit. In the UAE alone, revenues are down about 6.4% this year compared with last year. Qatar and Kuwait are the highest growth market in the Middle East in terms of revenue and volume, he said.

“In the coming year, we are anticipating about 3-5% improvement in the region in terms of the volumes. The growth is fuelled by a requirement of more and more imports and through critical gateway points such as the Jebel Ali port and free zone that is feeding the entire Gulf, and even up to the Levant countries including Jordan. We are seeing consumer appetite across the region,” he said.