Aramex and InPost form joint venture
Aramex, the global logistics and transportation solutions provider, today announced the signing of a Joint Venture with InPost, the parcel lockers network. The agreement formalises the partnership between Aramex and InPost and will ensure consumers across the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region and Africa will be able to access private automated parcel lockers for all e-commerce activities.
The new partnership with Aramex will create a network of automated parcel lockers that will be set up across the region in all major cities and towns. The move will support the development of the rapidly growing e-commerce industry in the MENA region. Through these new, automated self-service terminals, e-retailers will be able to send goods ordered online direct to parcel lockers, whilst customers will be able to collect their e-shopping at preselected terminals at their leisure.
Commenting on the signing, Iyad Kamal, chief operating officer of Aramex said: “InPost has a long and highly successful track record in developing world-class products and services in Europe and Asia and we are delighted to now be partnering with them across the Middle East and Africa. There are numerous synergies across our businesses and this partnership offers some exciting opportunities to further develop and grow our e-commerce proposition, enhance our last mile delivery solutions and improve the overall customer service experience for our clients.
“Across our markets in the Middle East and Africa, we are seeing the rapid growth of the e-commerce industry and our new partnership with InPost will enable us to continue to capitalize on this trend by strengthening our e-commerce services. To sustain this growth, more efficient platforms and systems for the e-commerce community are required and our partnership with InPost will play an important role in developing this market,” Kamal added.
Further commenting on the initiative, Rafal Brzoska, chief executive officer at InPost said: “Aramex has deep local knowledge of the MENA region in particular and is a very natural partner for our growth strategy. Having already established an extensive global network, we are excited about the considerable opportunities across the e-commerce sector in MENA and proud to be introducing parcel lockers for the first time to the region.”
The rapid growth in the MENA region’s e-commerce industry has been driven by an increasingly affluent, urban population; increased appetite and demand for e-commerce products and services and a number of new e-retailers entering the market. The e-commerce market in the UAE alone is currently valued at over $2.9 billion and is expected to grow to over $5.1 billion by 2015,according to Ekos Global.
Aramex and InPost expect the formal launch of the new service towards the end of 2014.
