Parcelnet rebrands as Hermes

Parcelnet is being rebranded today (Thursday) as Hermes following its integration last summer into parent company, the Otto Group's, new pan-European holding organisation. The Otto Group's aim is to create a single-branded home-delivery presence across Europe by bringing its UK and French operations -Parcelnet and Mondial Relay-in line with its German outfit, Hermes Logistik Gruppe (HLG).

HLG is the largest home-delivery service in Germany in 2007/08 it shipped 246 million parcels,with a turnoverof €1.04bn (£954.2m). In 2007, it expanded into Austria, and later that year it acquired a stake in Italian B2C logistics provider Porta a Porta, which was rebranded in January as Hermes-Porta a Porta.

Parcelnet CEO Carole Woodheadtells MT: "Since 2003, we have been meeting two or three times a year with our sister firms in Germany and France to share best practice. In the last year, it's stepped up a gear and we've met every month to discuss how we can support each other's businesses and now its become a more formalised alliance."

"Between us we already handle 22% of all home deliveries across Europe and research shows the European home-delivery market is set to almost double in value by 2016 to €10.5bn (£9.6bn), which we hope to take advantage of," adds Woodhead.

As of today, anything that touches the customer in the UK will be branded Hermes,while the firm's 425 vehicleswill be the last things to be rebranded.

"As vehicles come to the end of their life, we will rebrand them, which will probably take six years in total. Due to the economic climate we're not going to push the replacement programme through any faster than its natural timeframe."

According to Woodhead, the change is more than just a rebranding: "We're receiving an increased level of investment [from our parent company] and will receive a better level of technical support.

"We've had a very successful nine years growing as Parcel-net and now this is the next stage."

The firm is moving to its new 73,000ft2 hub in Nuneaton, Warwickshire in August, which has 76 docks and 160 trailer parking spaces.