Delivery to suit individual needs: Irish consumers now have convenient delivery options to choose from when GLS delivers their online purchases. The service is available for domestic and international orders including parcels from the United Kingdom.

About 80 percent of Irish online shoppers buy in the UK*. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly popular to shop from domestic** as well as from foreign web shops***. GLS has now expanded the FlexDeliveryService to the benefit of Irish consumers. Online retailers in Ireland and in 16 other countries can book flexible delivery with GLS and offer it to their customers.

Focus on own preferences

With the FlexDeliveryService, GLS informs recipients via e-mail about their upcoming parcel delivery. Shoppers receive an estimated delivery time frame and can choose between several delivery options. Among them, delivery on a specific day and granting a drop off permission. Thus, particularly those who are not at home during the day receive their parcel more simply and conveniently.

*Royal Mail’s Delivery Matters 2017 Ireland edition
**Irish Online Economy Report 2018, agency Wolfgang Digital
***Accenture study, 2014-2020

Delivery options

The GLS Group has acquired the Spanish express parcel delivery company Redyser Transporte.

With the acquisition of Redyser GLS Spain further enhances the domestic offering and strengthens GLS’ position as Spain’s second biggest express parcels network following the acquisition of ASM Transporte Urgente in June 2016.

Redyser predominantly serves the express parcels segment delivering around 14 million parcels annually. It operates through a network of over 200 agencies and franchises and 12 sites in Spain’s main cities.

Expanding the Spanish market

For a total consideration of €16.5 million, GLS acquired 100% of the shares in the Spanish parcel delivery company. In the year ended 31 December 2017, Redyser generated revenue of approximately €45 million. Redyser will be consolidated within the existing Spanish operations.

To the press release

More about the GLS Group

Expanded capacities for the peak season: in the last twelve months the GLS Group has invested more than 100 million euros into the development of its European network.

GLS has built a new international hub in Slovakia (Zvolen). The parcel service provider has also opened seven new depots in the GLS region Europe East – in Romania (Tulcea and Târgu Jiu), Slovenia (Slovenska Bistrica), the Czech Republic (Klatovy and Šumperk) and Hungary (Kazincbarcika and Budapest). Modern new constructions were also put into operation by GLS Germany (Offenburg), GLS Austria (Rankweil) and GLS Poland (Radom).

The major investments also include comprehensive depot expansions, for example in Habay (Belgium), Taastrup near Copenhagen (Denmark), Rotterdam (Netherlands) and Bydgoszcz (Poland). In Neuenstein, Germany, the hub of the express subsidiary DER KURIER has been expanded. In Italy, three GLS depots moved to larger buildings (Pesaro, La Spezia, Imperia).

Parcel volume increased by 30 percent

These measures allowed GLS to increase capacity in time for the autumn and Christmas business. In recent years, the number of parcels transported each day has been around 30 per cent above the annual average from October onwards. In some countries, the volume has even doubled shortly before Christmas. To be able to offer customers the high-quality service they are used to, GLS will not connect any new customers to its system during this period.

The GLS European network

The ISO certificates for quality and environmental management at the GLS Group have been renewed for the next three years. GLS has also achieved GDP certification for the transportation of medicinal products in two more countries.

GLS operating companies in 18 countries had their quality and environmental management systems recertified in accordance with ISO 9001 and 14001. The certification contributes to the transparency of GLS products and services in the eyes of the customers. The management systems help the national organisations to achieve their environmental and quality goals.

GDP-certified medicinal transport

GLS also obtained GDP (Good Distribution Practice) certification in Denmark and Ireland. The GDP guideline is binding for pharmaceutical wholesalers across the EU. Following Germany and France, GLS companies in four countries now meet the stringent safety and hygiene requirements for the non-temperature-controlled transport of medicinal products for human use.

GLS contracted DQS – one of the largest international providers of management system certification – for almost all the certificates.

Reliability

The GLS Group bought regional US overnight parcel delivery company Postal Express Inc.

Postal Express operates in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The company offers overnight parcel delivery, mainly to business-to-business customers, across a number of industries.

Founded in 1985, Postal Express today operates a network of 15 hub facilities, with around 400 employees. In 2016, Postal Express generated revenue of approximately 42 million dollars and delivered around 8.7 million parcels.

Targeted geographic expansion

GLS acquired 100 per cent of the shares, paying a total consideration of about 12.5 million euros. The company will be consolidated within GLS for reporting purposes but managed as a separate entity. This targeted geographic expansion follows the acquisition of California based Golden State Overnight Delivery Service Inc. (GSO), in October 2016.

More about the GLS Group

The GLS Group has become new owner of the regional next day parcel service Golden State Overnight Delivery Service Inc. (GSO), based in California.

With around 13.5 million deliveries per year, GSO is a leading provider of regional next day delivery services in California. The company also operates in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. Focusing on next day delivery services, GSO also offers freight services, both primarily in the B2B segment.

Expanding in an attractive market

In the previous business year GSO generated revenue of approximately 114 million dollars. GLS acquired 100 per cent of the shares in GSO, paying a total consideration of about 80 million euros. With this targeted geographic expansion, GLS is now active in an attractive regional market, representing the world’s fifth largest economy.

GSO will be fully consolidated within GLS, but will be managed as a separate entity. The company was established in 1995, operates 36 facilities and employs a workforce of around 1,900.

In its report “ThinkGLS. ThinkResponsible.” GLS provides information about its numerous sustainability activities in all its national subsidiaries.

The GLS Group continued these activities in the 2013/14 and 2014/15 financial years on an even wider basis. In focus: the agreement of economic, environmental and social issues.

Eco-balance: good progress

Thanks to environmental activities in all its divisions, GLS improved its eco-balance in numerous categories, even though the volume of parcels increased by nearly 15 per cent and GLS expanded its network by 21 new depots and about 1,000 vehicles.

• Consumption of heating energy: dropped by just under 9 per cent
• Water consumption: around 23 per cent less
• Transport vehicles with the Euro 4 standard and above: rose from around 77 to 84 per cent

Expansion of social activities

National subsidiaries of GLS support charitable local projects throughout Europe. The sustainability report provides a comprehensive overview of the Group’s social and fundraising activities.

GLS secures and increases the attractiveness of its workplaces, for instance through national training and professional development as well as through staff surveys. “Depot dialogues”, joint events and partnership programmes help to encourage a spirit of partnership when working with transport companies.

Fostering dialogue

The GLS sustainability report is oriented on the international standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). It is published every two years and contributes to dialogue between GLS, its dialogue groups and all stakeholders.

Go to the GLS sustainability report

ThinkGreen initiative
ThinkSocial

GLS has opened new depots in Budapest and Milan. Good for the climate: parcels are delivered by bicycles and electric vehicles.

GLS Hungary operates the new Budapest location in cooperation with the capital’s first bicycle courier company. The delivery drivers transport most of the parcels for the city centre by cargo bikes or e-bikes. In case of heavy loads GLS uses an electric minivan with a range of 130 kilometres. It is the first of its kind in the Hungarian post and parcel market.

GLS Italy also delivers emission-free to parcel recipients in the inner city of Milan – using 12 electric vehicles and eight e-bikes. An additional plus for the new depot: the environmentally friendly LED lighting.

Green – and efficient

One of the sustainability goals of GLS is to continually reduce energy consumption. Bicycles are also used by GLS in other Italian city centres and in Belgium.

Another advantage: narrow, bustling downtown streets and areas with restricted access can be reached quickly and easily.

ThinkGreen Initiative

The GLS Group now delivers parcels for Israel Postal Company Ltd. (Israel Post) throughout Europe. Bilateral expansion of the collaboration is planned.

The cooperation began in May of this year, initially for Israeli B2B deliveries. With Israel Post and GLS, parcels from Tel Aviv reach numerous European markets within two to five days.

The parcels – arriving by airmail – are taken on by the IATA-licensed GLS Airport Office in Frankfurt. Most deliveries clear customs on the day of arrival, enter the GLS network and are then forwarded to their final destinations.

Interfaces between the partners’ IT systems allow continuous parcel monitoring via the GLS or Israel Post Track & Trace systems.

The next level of cooperation between the two companies includes deliveries of GLS parcels in Israel and the development of a pick-up solution in EU countries for Israeli clients.

Sustainability and quality in shipping: GLS has now obtained group-wide certifications under internationally recognised ISO standards 14001 and 9001.

GLS completed the project in less than three years – faster than expected: Nineteen GLS companies were certified in accordance with ISO environmental standard 14001, with five of these – GLS in Denmark, France, Finland, Ireland and Portugal – in December 2013. The international testing organisation DEKRA confirmed that all companies operate an effective, high-performance environmental management system.

The ISO-certified environmental management system helps achieve the objectives of GLS ThinkGreen sustainability initiative – i.e. consistently reducing emissions, resource consumption, and waste. Specific measures range from using energy-saving technology, to efficient route planning, to environmentally conscious behaviour at the workplace.

Complete reliability right across Europe

The GLS Group also assesses, ensures and improves the quality of its services in a uniform manner according to high international standards. The successful audits of GLS Finland and GLS Denmark marked completion of the group-wide certification under ISO standard 9001.

This means that GLS collects and processes important key figures every day in all countries to guarantee extensive quality assurance, and uses them as a basis to manage parcel services.

GLS quality and environmental management schemes have proven their worth. The quality management system has been ISO-certified for over ten years in many countries, while the company obtained the seal of approval for its environmental management system for the first time in the Netherlands in 2011.