Amazon instead of Post/DHL Online giant Amazon delivers parcels in Bonn itself
Bonn · Online giant Amazon stabs into the heart of the Deutsche Post: For the past few days, Amazon Logistics has been supplying the customers in Bonn itself. The Post issued a statement saying that they are keeping their cool.
Amazon and its logistics service competes with the Deutsche Post/DHL in many German cities for a while now. Now the online giant stabs into the yellow heart of the corporation: For the past few days, Amazon Logistics delivers the parcels to its customers in Bonn itself. The company’s spokesperson confirmed this upon enquiry by the General-Anzeiger. Their own service runs parallel to the deliveries by partner companies. „The reason behind that: More and more customers choose same day and next day deliveries.“
Amazon is building complementary and flexible capacity, according to the spokesperson. The customers can order later and still receive the ordered goods the next day or even on the same day. The number of parcels delivered daily in Bonn was not revealed. Yet, 150 new staff members have been employed in the distribution centre, located in Cologne.
The Deutsche Post keeps its cool in regard to the new competition in Bonn. The corporation insists that the companies have a „tight and trusting business partnership“ for years.
Amazon „relies consistently on our infrastructure and our comprehensive parcel network in Germany“. Even in cities, in which the Amazon owned logistics service supplies the customers, DHL delivers parcels.
Parcel business grows thanks to online retailing
Experts also judge the consequences for the Deutsche Post as limited. Noticeable impacts will only appear in 2019, says analyst Stephan Bauer of the Bankhaus Lampe.
Bauer estimates that Amazon is responsible for 15 to 20 percent of all German parcel deliveries and approximately one billion Euro in revenue. The Post spokesperson said that they would not disclose any figures because the company principally does not publish any concrete information about customer relations.
In total the Bonn corporation turned over 4.8 billion Euro in 2016, in the parcel business alone - that’s a plus of 10.1 percent in comparison to the previous year.
The parcel business is growing continuously thanks to the online retail business, it said in the business report of the corporation. The entire German parcel market amounted to 10.1 billion Euro. 45.1 percent of the market share belongs to the Post. The Post refers to the fact that as an efficient logistical provider it made the growth of Amazon partly possible and massively supported its success in the German market. „Not least because of the extensive infrastructural development in sorting and delivery“, it said in a statement. „Already today we can handle more than one million parcels per hour in every operating hour in the German network“, the corporation disclosed.
Amazon relies on local delivery companies
If and how Amazon wants to extend the logistical service in Bonn is not clear yet, said the company’s spokesperson. This is depending on the demand. Amazon Logistic started near Munich, in 2015. 2016, Berlin was added. Now, the Rhine-Ruhr region as well as Mannheim and Frankfurt areas are delivery areas too. Cologne also has an Amazon Logistic area.
In the delivery process Amazon relies not on own drivers but on local delivery services. In Berlin that’s the Flex company. A taste of Uber in logistics: Private people could deliver parcels, organised by an App. So far, this service is only available in Berlin, but other cities are supposed to follow that example, as Amazon mentioned on its website. In the USA, Amazon already expanded the delivery infrastructure so much, that the company has its own delivery van and plane fleet.
(Original version: Nadine Klees / Translation: Mareike Graepel)
