French La Poste and Swedish Posten AB companies will jointly develop the Polish courier company Masterlink Express

In line with the agreement signed in July, La Poste Group took over a 50-percent stake in Masterlink Express from Posten AB, its to-date sole shareholder. At the same time, Posten AB bought a license for Polish operations from Direct Parcel Distribution, one of the largest logistics groups in Europe. As a result, Masterlink will gain access to the chain covering 24 European countries.

Thanks to the change in the ownership structure, Masterlink will become part of Europe’s second-largest logistics group. As a member of the large multinational chain, Masterlink will be able to transfer know-how and improve its service line.

“Our objective is to win the leading position in the Polish logistics services market. The agreement between La Poste and Posten will help us achieve this goal. Our customers will now be offered a wider range of high-quality products and services,” said Marek Ró¿ycki, managing director of Masterlink.

Thanks to the new shareholder, Masterlink will have an opportunity to expand in the international mail market. And the license bought by Posten AB from Direct Parcel Distribution enables Masterlink to increase its share in the cargo operations between Poland and the European Union, and in particular between Poland and Germany. Opportunities for expansion in the fast-growing Central and Eastern European market are also emerging. “A further increase in the number of pieces of mail we handle will be the direct benefit. In the past two years, we recorded an almost 200-percent increase. We believe that thanks to the new opportunities-and despite the rather unfavorable macroeconomic situation-Masterlink will manage to keep up its high rate of growth,” Ró¿ycki said.

Masterlink Express started its business operations in 1991 as a 100-percent Polish-owned company. In the initial period, the company specialized in delivering city mail. The situation changed in 1994 when the company signed a partnership contract with Federal Express and as a result gained access to foreign operations. In 1998, Masterlink signed a partnership agreement with one of the world’s largest logistics companies-DHL Worldwide Express. Thanks to this agreement, mail sent by Masterlink customers can now reach destinations in over 220 countries. In the same year, Masterlink was taken over by Swedish-owned Posten AB.

Presently, Masterlink Express has 50 branches throughout Poland, making it the largest chain in Poland. The company offers comprehensive services in the city, domestic and international markets.