DPD Group UK said it had demonstrated resilience in a challenging market after revenues increased slightly to £1.5bn in 2024.
The parcel collection and delivery firm said it had met stakeholder expectations and achieved strong revenues, which were 0.6% higher than in 2023.
Pre-tax profit reduced by 24.6% in the year ending 29 December 2024 to £198m and operating profit fell 3.1% to £219m.
“The company’s performance was achieved against the backdrop of a challenging economy, which affected customer demand for both domestic and international services and placed inflationary pressure upon both employee and supplier costs,” DPD said.
“Despite slower market growth conditions, the company still recorded encouraging levels of new business and upsells and delivered year-on-year growth in both parcels delivered and revenues received.
“Next-day parcel services remained the largest revenue contributor. The company continued to benefit from its group membership of the leading European road-based DPD network, despite the challenges faced by the industry following the UK leaving the single market.
“International growth will continue to be an area of focus in 2025 and beyond.”
The company said that it was operating against a backdrop of increased competition from low-cost carriers and that significant operational cost savings achieved through efficiency initiatives had offset rising operational expenses during the period.
DPD added that it forecasted revenues this year to surpass 2024 levels and a large proportion of this growth was based on targeting food, healthcare and expanding volumes in its out-of-home network.
