DHL opens 38 new SERVICEPOINTS across Japan

DHL will open 38 additional SERVICEPOINT locations across Japan on 15 March, bringing the total number of DHL SERVICEPOINTS in the country to 175. The expansion will be carried out through subcontractor Greight, Inc., which does business under the Hankoyasan21 brand.
DHL set up SERVICEPOINTS at 27 Hankoyasan21 stores in December 2009, and through this new agreement will offer customers access to DHL services at 65 of the 300 Hankoyasan21 stores in Japan.

SMEs and sole proprietors will be the key beneficiaries of this expanded network of SERVICEPOINTS, taking advantage of Hankoyasan21’s store hours and DHL’s services to send documents and packages to destinations in DHL’s global network of more than 220 countries and territories worldwide.

The new SERVICEPOINTS will accept shipments from DHL account holders as well as from general customers using DHL EXPRESS EASY which includes a range of envelopes and boxes and a simplified fee scale based not on weight but rather according to destination zone (Asia Pacific, America or Europe/Other). Fixed rates insulate DHL EXPRESS EASY users from the impact of fluctuating jet fuel surcharges and allow them to more accurately forecast shipping expenses.

DHL’s Japan network continues to be the largest among all international express logistics companies doing business in this market; with the opening of the 38 new SERVICEPOINTS, it will grow to 175 locations comprising three Gateways (cross-border shipments), 32 Service Centers (collection, delivery and drop-off), 139 SERVICEPOINTS and one Business Centre.

Among the 11 prefectures where SERVICEPOINTS will be newly opened, six – Yamagata, Nara, Tottori, Ehime, Tokushima and Saga – will be getting their first drop-off centre. Notably, DHL will now have drop-off centres in 17 of Japan’s 18 largest cities, expanding the company’s presence in the Hokkaido, Sanyo, Kanto, and Chukyo regions.

DHL Japan president and representative director Taketo Yamakawa said: “Through the collaboration with Hankoyasan21, we have been able to double the number of drop-off centres only within few months, and we believe that this attests to the strong response by customers who recognize our initiatives to expand the service network. Going forward, to continue to serve as a good business partner for customers throughout Japan, we will develop services in a greater number of cities, further strengthening our position as the international express market leader.”