TNT Post partners with CollectPlus on cross-border ecommerce
PostNL’s international arm TNT Post has formed a partnership with the UK retail parcel network CollectPlus, to offer smaller ecommerce merchants a way to reach customers abroad. The partnership will mean e-retailers across the UK will be able to drop off parcels for international delivery at thousands of CollectPlus stores around the country.
The service will see TNT Post delivering the items from small and medium-sized web merchants worldwide.
CollectPlus is a joint venture between payments company PayPoint and parcel delivery firm Yodel. Its outlets, which are usually run by convenience store operators, are within a mile from 87% of the British population according to company claims.
Mark Lewis said of the TNT Post partnership: “This is a great first step to developing an integrated international offer for CollectPlus customers; it demonstrates our commitment to providing a convenient and reliable parcel service in the UK but also recognises the growing need for businesses to operate on a global scale as well as a greater demand from consumers for more choice.”
TNT Post said its partnership was an answer to the growing number of international orders received by smaller British e-retailers.
It said cross-border trade from the UK is booming, with online sales from Greece, France, the Netherlands and Finland growing by about 20% a year.
Bob van Ierland, TNT Post director of international parcels, said the dense drop-off network CollectPlus offered in the UK made a “strong combination” with his company’s global distribution capabilities.
He said: “Already 30% of all online cross-border trade in Europe comes from the UK. In addition, a majority of online entrepreneurs in the UK plan to expand internationally within the coming 12 months. They will need access to international shipping services around the corner.”
Convenience
CollectPlus has just opened its 5,000th store – owned by Visvalingam Manivannan, at Hanging Hill Lane Costcutter in Brentwood, Essex
CollectPlus was founded back in 2009, and has seen its store network expand by 25% in the last 12 months. The company’s parcel volumes have grown 250% in the past year, and now it is handling around 7m packages annually.
The firm already provides collection access for 160 retailers through its network, as well as a gateway for customer returns, including Amazon.
Today saw the opening of the 5,000th store in the nationwide network, in a Costcutter store in Brentwood, Essex.
Lewis said: “The strength of our business is its convenience, and this can only increase for a retailer’s customer base as we expand our network of stores that offer our services.”
