DPDgroup

DPD delivery van in Germany

In the 1980s, Le Groupe La Poste originated its express transport activities with the creation of Chronopost in 1985.

In 1999, Le Groupe La Poste created GeoPost to consolidate its express transport and parcel delivery businesses. In the 2000s, GeoPost carried out a series of acquisitions concerning transport operators in various European markets.

GeoPost bought the UK-based Parceline and Ireland's Interlink parcel service in November 2000, for around $277 million.[4] In 2008 it was rebranded as Dynamic Parcel Distribution.

In 2001, GeoPost became the main shareholder of DPD, a company created in 1977 in Aschaffenburg, West Germany (Deutscher Paketdienst until January 2008, then Dynamic Parcel Distribution).[5] In the same year, GeoPost acquired the British company Parceline which was rebranded DPD in March 2008.

GeoPost then made successive acquisitions:

• In 2004, 40% of Seur Internacional, the number 1 private operator in Spain.
• In 2006, Exapaq (now DPD France).
• In 2009, Pickup Services, a company specialised in managing pick-up and drop-off points.
• In 2011, 75% of DPD Laser in South Africa and 35% of Lenton in Hong Kong.
• In 2013, 40% of DTDC, the second largest parcel delivery network in India.
• In 2014, Siódemka, the leading operator in the Polish market.

In 2015, GeoPost combined its DPD, Chronopost and Seur brands under one umbrella: DPDgroup.[6]

On this occasion, Exapaq became DPD France and the logo of Chronopost was modified to show it was part of DPDgroup.

In 2016, DPDgroup increased its equity investments within the DPD network - including taking 100% control of DPD in Germany - and acquired a 60% stake in JadLog (a Brazilian company).

In 2017, DPDgroup increased its stake in the Seur network to 87%, completed the acquisition of Stuart (a French company)[7] and took a 37.5% stake in BRT (an Italian company).

In 2018, the stake in the SEUR network was increased to 94% and DPDgroup acquired a minority stake in Ninja Van, a specialist in the last mile in South-East Asia.[8]

In 2019, DPDgroup became the major shareholder in BRT by increasing its share in the capital to 85%[9] and acquired a majority stake in Lenton, the Asian-based cross-border service provider.[10]

DPDgroup operates in the light-weight parcel delivery market (less than 31.5 kg), which is typically referred to as the “CEP” market (courier, express and parcel).

The CEP market differs from courier services (that do not require a sorting centre) and from freight (that requires several people or equipment to handle the parcels).

DPDgroup operates in the different sub-segments of the CEP market, which are defined according to the following criteria:

• delivery time: DPDgroup operates in the standard or deferred parcel segment (without guaranteed delivery times, which ranges from 24 to 72 hours depending on the destination) and in the express parcel segment (guaranteed next-day delivery in the domestic market, and next-day to two-day delivery for international)
• geographic coverage: DPDgroup is specialised in domestic deliveries in the markets in which it is present (nationwide delivery), and in intra-European deliveries. It is also expanding in the intercontinental market.
• nature of the sender and recipient: DPDgroup covers parcel flows between businesses (BtoB), between consumers (CtoC), from business to consumer (BtoC) and from consumer to business (CtoB)

DPDgroup mainly operates in Europe, with a direct presence in 23 countries:

• under the DPD brand (in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Estonia, France, Portugal, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Romania)
• under the Chronopost brand (in France)
• under the Seur brand (in Spain)
• under the BRT brand (Italy) where an international heavy shipments service is also offered [11]

The company also operates through stakes in companies (especially Speedy in Bulgaria) or commercial partnerships in other European countries (especially with Nova Poshta in Ukraine[12] and with PostNord in the Nordic countries[13]).

Outside of Europe, DPDgroup operates:

• in Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia (under the DPD brand)
• in Brazil (60% in Jadlog)
• in India (43% in DTDC)
• in Turkey (25% in Yurtiçi Kargo)
• in South-East Asia (32.6 % in Ninja Van[14]) and in China (65% in Lenton[10])
• in Morocco, Burkina Faso and Mauritius (under the Chronopost brand)
• in Egypt (20% in Bosta)[15]
• in South Africa (under DPD Laser)

Lastly, regarding international import and export flows, DPDgroup is positioning itself in the freight forwarding market through its Tigers subsidiary (72% owned), an international freight forwarder that operates in Asia (China), in Australia, in the United States and in Europe.

In September 2001, the company became chaired by Paul-Marie Chavanne, also Executive Vice-President of Le Groupe La Poste.

At the end of January 2020, Boris Winkelmann was appointed Executive Vice President of the company.[16]

• Revenues: €7.8 billion (2019, +7% compared to 2018)[2]
• Operating profit: €379 million (2019)[2]

• International: 77% of revenues from outside France (2019)[2]
• BtoC: 41% of revenues and 45% of the volume (2019)
• BtoB: 59% of revenues and 57% of the volume (2019)
• Number of parcels delivered worldwide: 1.3 billion (2019)[2]
• 9.3 million parcels delivered on peak day in Europe (2 December 2019). DPD UK recorded in 2019 its biggest ever Cyber Weekend, with parcel volumes up 13% vs 2018.[17]

• Staff: 42,000 employees (in full-time equivalent), including 35,000 out of France (in 2019).

In 2012, DPDgroup committed itself to carbon-neutral deliveries. CO2 emissions are gradually being reduced and offset, through support for renewable energy projects in India and Brazil. In 2018, DPDgroup reduced its CO2 emissions generated by road transport by 15% per parcel compared to 2013.[21]

Offset of the remaining transport emissions is made by purchasing carbon credits. DPDgroup appears in top position in ranking of companies in the CEP (Courier, Express, Parcel) sector in terms of voluntary offsetting.[22] DPDgroup's investment accounts for almost 3% of the European voluntary carbon offset market.

For inner-city deliveries, DPDgroup has implemented smart urban delivery initiatives. Since October 2019, Chronopost France has been operating 100% green deliveries in Paris, thanks to low-emission vehicles and urban depots.[23] In autumn 2018, DPD UK's first urban depot opened in London[24] and now 139 electric vehicles are deployed in the United Kingdom, to form the largest UK green livery[25]. The company’s green fleet and urban depots are in line with London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone standards. Deliveries by alternative vehicles are also operated in Dublin[26], Hamburg[27], Madrid, Tallinn and Warsow.

In February 2018, DPD faced widespread criticism in the UK due to the treatment of Don Lane, one of its couriers. Lane had previously been fined £150 by DPD UK for attending a medical appointment to treat his diabetes and ultimately collapsed and died of the condition. According to Lane's widow, he had missed appointments with specialists because he felt under pressure to cover his route. Frank Field MP, Chairman of the House of Commons' Work and Pensions Select Committee, said "DPD have been told time and again that their punitive regime is totally unjust, particularly as their workers are labelled ‘self-employed’. Such mistreatment of workers smacks of sweated labour from the Victorian era." In March 2018, DPD UK announced that they would be offering all of their UK workers the opportunity to be classed as employees, and that they would abolish the fines for missing work. Plans were announced in March 2018 to create a DPD Driver Code later in the year, and to introduce a "self-employed worker" contract, which will offer drivers an alternative to working as a direct employee of DPD UK or working with the company on a self-employed basis.[28]

In November 2019, DPDgroup launched a Group-wide air quality monitoring programme measuring air quality with sensors on vans and Pickup points [29]. Data are provided for free to cities & citizens.