Competitor Watch
DHL has agreed a deal for more than 50,000 sq ft of space at a new industrial development currently under construction in Leeds.
It is reported that the unit will be used as a parcels logistics centre, with DHL taking occupation of its new building by this summer. Further details will be shared as they become available; for example, it is not clear which division of the company will occupy the site: UK Parcels, Express, or Supply Chain.
DHL is also investing in its network in Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands to enable greener last mile logistics.
In the Netherlands, the company has constructed a €11m service centre for international express shipments in Zwolle, in the north-east of the country. The warehouse is specially equipped to load containers for CityHubs, which act as satellites for onward delivery of shipments, for example by bike or environmentally friendly vehicles.
In Belgium, DHL Express is establishing a new CityHub for the Antwerp region and will deploy DHL Cubicycles from the new location, due to its cycling distance to the centre of Antwerp. The four-wheeled cargo bikes can carry a payload of up to 125 kg.
Meanwhile in Austria, DHL Express has opened a new modern flagship store in Linz, conveniently located in the city centre. The new Service Point will facilitate consignment deliveries and pick-ups in the Linz city area with the DHL Cubicycles.
Elsewhere, DHL has expanded its two-person handling service in Germany as it taps into the fast-growing online furniture and entertainment electronics sectors. DHL’s new Premium24 service delivers bulky goods to consumers on the next working day, irrespective of whether the shipper uses DHL’s central warehouse in Ludwigsau, delivers the goods to DHL’s warehouse or whether DHL collects the order directly from the shipper.
As part of our own efforts to reduce our carbon footprint, we are currently trialling alternative fuel lorries. The bio-compressed natural gas trucks operate out of our National Distribution Centre and Chorley Vehicle Operating Centre and are refuelled at the facilities within two miles of each site.
