Yamato to offer France/Japan refrigerated parcel service
Yamato Holdings plans to offer refrigerated parcel deliveries between Japan and France next year, according to local sources. According to a report published today (10 April) on the Nikkei Asian Review website, Yamato will be working with France’s Chronopost.
The parcels will be in containers that maintain temperatures of between 0 C and 10 C. Yamato reportedly expects demand in France for Japanese sake, fruit and fish, while cheese and white asparagus will be among the French goods coming to Japan.
Yamato is looking to ramp up its international services – and refrigerated food deliveries are seen as a potential growth market. On 28 February, BSI Group Japan K.K. issued an international standard – PAS 1018:2017 – for refrigerated parcel delivery services, based on a request from Yamato.
UPDATE ON 11 APRIL 2017
In a statement posted on the DPD website this morning (11 April), Chronopost has confirmed that it signed a cross-license agreement with Yamato on Thursday (6 April) to “share knowhow” and “expand the cross-border frozen and chilled delivery markets in both Japan and France”.
The statement also gave a summary of the two companies’ expertise in this area.
According to the Chronopost statement: “Yamato Group started the nationwide door-to-door frozen and chilled delivery service for small parcels- ‘Cool Ta-Q-Bin’ in 1988, which contributed to the development of ready-order and direct-from-farm culture. This high quality service has been expanded to the overseas markets in Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia since 2010. In 2013, the world’s first international door-to-door frozen and chilled delivery service under constant temperature control International Cool Ta-Q-Bin was launched in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand currently.”
Chronopost, meanwhile, launched its “Chronofresh”chilled and frozen transport network in France in 2015, and it has since expanded the service to Spain and Belgium.
