Delivery groups reap online benefit

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e4fb8c4e-25f8 ... ck_check=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Distribution companies specialising in business-to-consumer deliveries are gearing up for rapid growth as online shopping proves to be one of the few bright spots in a dismal retail sector.

Home Delivery Network , the UK’s biggest consumer parcel delivery company after Royal Mail, forecast growth of 23.5 per cent over the next four years as more goods – from bottles of wine to rabbit hutches – are sent directly to shoppers’ homes.

The transition of retailers’ operations from the high street to cyberspace has accelerated in the downturn as consumers hunt for better prices online and vendors look for ways to cut running costs and more efficiently manage stock levels.

Brian Gaunt, HDNL chief executive, said that it was still a tough market and that turnover was flat at about £350m because of the overall fall in consumer spending.

The private company, formed by the merger of White Arrow and Business Express in 2005, also faces greater competition from Royal Mail and business-to-business carriers moving into the market.

But HDNL said it was investing in new technology and introducing more flexible delivery hours in an effort to retain its 18 per cent share of the B2C parcel delivery market.

In January, HDNL won the contract to deliver on behalf of Asos, an online fashion retailer, which that month reported a 118 per cent year-on-year sales rise for its previous nine weeks.

At its 55 UK depots, HDNL also delivers all purchases from Shop Direct Group, the UK’s biggest online and catalogue retailer, and supplements other retailers’ own distribution networks by handling, for example, all non-food Tesco and smaller Argos orders.

HDNL says that it handles 300,000 parcels a day and that two-thirds of the UK population receives at least one delivery from the company every year.

Wesley Elishi, manager of the central London depot, said he and his drivers could quickly gauge shoppers’ moods. “There are more mothers than lovers,” the former nightclub boss said.

While his drivers delivered as many flowers over Mother’s Day as they had in 2008 – 3,500-4,000 boxed bunches – the number sent for Valentine’s Day was down by a quarter.

After the recent warm weather, he said that the warehouse had also filled up with garden tables and DIY goods, which help explain surprising figures from BDO Stoy Hayward last week showing that homeware sales in March were positive for only the second month since January 2008.

Drivers also said they were running more collections now as shoppers returned purchases such as TVs after deciding they could no longer afford them.

[DGP1]

Don't HDNL use cars for delivery not to mention leaving packets at peoples doors

[dvbuk55]

Don't HDNL use cars for delivery not to mention leaving packets at peoples doors

Yes they do - and they also tell lies about having attempted delivery on the day when in fact the item has never left the depot. I have complained at least 3 times about that very thing - DHL also use a similar "cheap" method.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Don't HDNL use cars for delivery not to mention leaving packets at peoples doors

Yes they do - and they also tell lies about having attempted delivery on the day when in fact the item has never left the depot. I have complained at least 3 times about that very thing - DHL also use a similar "cheap" method.

SO:

DHL = Dont Have it Loaded

HDNL = Handy Dont kNock just Leave.

TNT = Trying Not To pay