Hermes UK is investing £11m in its international business as it continues to ride the booming global e-commerce market.
The investment sees the creation of a dedicated international division which is tasked with launching a range of new integrated end-to-end services including inbound, outbound and reverse logistics to expand the existing offering.
Hermes has recruited Malcolm Barrell to head up the international division. He will report to chief executive Martijn de Lange.
Barrell brings over 35 years of industry experience, having worked at director level for both DHL and Bpost International, and most recently as chief executive for P2P, FedEx’s cross border brand.
Ed Ayyad also joins the international division, taking on the role of director of international. Ayyad has over 15 years of industry experience in international distribution, most recently as P2P MD.
Hermes' £11m investment will also deliver the launch of a number of new global, cross-border products for retail customers, SMEs, marketplaces and consumers, the company said.
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As part of its international expansion plan Hermes has also opened three brand new dedicated facilities. These include a 140,000 sq ft facility in Essex with capacity to process around 150,000 parcels a day, an 80,000 sq ft hub at Heathrow to manage its export and import operations, and a third hub in Utrecht, which is part of an 80,000sq ft facility.
The Utrecht centre will be the main transhipment hub in the Netherlands with a processing capacity of 70,000 parcels a day. Over 150 jobs have been created, ranging from managerial to warehousing roles.
The strategy also see Hermes roll out a fulfilment platform which can fulfil orders both domestically and internationally from its UK and European sites.
The platform has the ability to connect to any website or marketplace and fulfil to 220 countries, up from 190. It is supported by a new International tracking API to enable customers to receive full end-to-end tracking.
“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 maximise the opportunities that are being created by the fast-growing international e-commerce market," de Lange said.
“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 unrivalled domestic success to become a globally recognised brand trading in all territories. We were delighted to launch the proposition by welcoming over 100 leading retailers to our Essex facility this week.”
