Hermes UK has invested £11m (US$14.9m) in its international business, including the creation of a dedicated international division for inbound, outbound and reverse logistics.
To facilitate this expansion, Hermes has opened three facilities, two in the UK and one in the Netherlands. A 140,000ft2 facility in Essex, UK, has the capacity to process approximately 150,000 parcels a day; an 80,000ft2 Heathrow facility manages export and import operations; and a facility in Utrecht, part of an 80,000ft2 facility, will be the main transshipment hub in the Netherlands and has a processing capacity of 70,000 parcels a day. Over 150 jobs have been created, ranging from managerial to warehousing roles.
Heading up the division is Malcolm Barrell who has joined as managing director. He has over 35 years of industry experience, having worked at director level for both DHL and bpost international, and most recently as CEO for FedEx’s cross-border brand, P2P. Barrell will report to the CEO, Martijn de Lange. Ed Ayyad will take the role of director of the international division with over 15 years of industry experience in distribution, most recently as managing director of P2P.
The company has also launched a fulfillment platform that can fulfil orders domestically and internationally from its UK and European sites. It has the ability to connect to any website or marketplace which will now fulfill to 220 countries (up from 190) and is supported by a new international tracking API to enable customers to receive full end-to-end tracking.
De Lange said, “This is about taking our existing international proposition and elevating it to create a best-in-class solution for our clients that enables us and them to maximize the opportunities that are being created by the fast-growing international e-commerce market.
“This is increasingly important post-Brexit and as the world starts to reopen following the global pandemic and we are committed to building on our unrivaled domestic success to become a globally recognized brand trading in all territories. We were delighted to launch the proposition by welcoming over 100 leading retailers to our Essex facility this week.”
