Does Amazon really matter to intra-European express, postal, courier and ground transport?

A Google News search today of the term “Amazon” yields 566,000 hits. Indeed, the online retailing behemoth is seemingly everywhere, dominating discussions in the airfreight market, but just how important is Amazon to the intra-European freight market? The answer will surprise you. Recently, we took a brief look at the importance of Amazon for the […]

• Frederic Horst
• May 24, 2019

Record fourth-quarter earnings cap a great year for DP-DHL

Capitalizing on strong e-commerce growth and on a return to financial health by its forwarding arm, Deutsche Post-DHL reported net profit up more than 25% to €841 million in the fourth quarter of 2016. The big jump came despite revenue remaining almost flat (up just 0.5%) at €15.41 billion. Operating profit (EBIT) for the quarter […]

• David Harris
• March 10, 2017

UPS and DHL on the acquisition trail

Two of the world’s big three integrators have recently made significant acquisitions. UPS acquires Marken. UPS bought itself a Christmas present in the form of Marken, a privately-owned, US-based company that specializes in providing clinical trial logistics solutions to the life-sciences industry. The acquisition will provide a significant boost to UPS’ presence in the healthcare […]

• David Harris
• January 13, 2017

DHL Global Forwarding bounces back

Deutsche Post-DHL reported fourth-quarter net income up 4.7% y-o-y to €670 million, as total revenue was almost flat (down 0.2%) at €15.34 billion. Operating profit for the quarter was up 5.7% to €957 million. If there was a highlight in the quarter, it was the beginning of a turnaround in the company’s troubled Global Forwarding, […]

• David Harris
• March 10, 2016

Forwarding drags DP-DHL backward

Deutsche Post-DHL reported third-quarter net income down almost 90% to €49 million, as total revenue rose 3.0% to €14.42 billion. Operating profit (EBIT) for the quarter was down 70.9% to €197 million. Express and e-Commerce were the only bright spots in an otherwise dismal quarter for the German post/express/logistics giant, as a variety of issues […]

• David Harris
• November 11, 2015

DP-DHL: Express thrives, Forwarding drags

Deutsche Post-DHL reported second-quarter net income down 29.3% y-o-y to €326 million, as total revenue rose 7.3% to €14.70 billion. Operating income (EBIT) for the quarter was down 18.1% to €537 million. DP-DHL is a sometimes awkward combination of four separate reporting divisions – or, perhaps more accurately, a combination of three reasonably solid, if […]

• David Harris
• August 13, 2015

Express shines in DP-DHL’s first quarter

Deutsche Post-DHL reported first-quarter net income down 1.4% to €495 million, as total revenue increased 8.8% to €14.77 billion. Operating profit (EBIT) for the quarter was down 1.0% to €720 million. DP-DHL has four reporting divisions, and in the first quarter two of them turned in strong performances, while the other two did less well, […]

• David Harris
• May 18, 2015

DHL expands its trans-Pacific fleet

It doesn’t seem that long ago that Deutsche Post-DHL was at the absolute nadir of its involvement in the US. In an attempt to enter the US domestic express market and compete directly with UPS and FedEx, DHL bought Airborne Express and tried to expand this small, moderately successful low-cost alternative to the big two […]

• David Harris
• June 5, 2014