Online delivery company DPD has bought final mile courier company Absolutely in order to build on its same-day delivery capabilities across the UK.
Absolutely has about 200 couriers across the South East, working for more than 2,500 clients from fashion brands and media businesses to law firms. It uses a growing number of zero-emission vehicles such as cargo bikes and pushbikes as well as vans and motorbikes.
The acquisition comes a year after DPD UK bought CitySprint and will help it to build its presence in a fast-growing part of the delivery market. DPD says CitySprint is already capable of reaching more than 88% of the UK mainland population within an hour, and the new acquisition means Absolutely customers will be able to tap into DPD UK’s domestic next day and international expertise.
Elaine Kerr, chief executive of DPD UK, says: “We’re delighted to welcome the Absolutely team to our UK business. Same day delivery is one of the fastest growing segments of the logistics market and this move allows us to further strengthen and expand our offer in this area, following the acquisition of CitySprint last year. Looking ahead, DPD UK is strongly positioned to meet this rising demand and consolidate our place as a market leader in same day delivery.”
Absolutely – which bills itself as The London Courier – has been offering courier delivery services in London since 1865. Last year it started working with what3words to speed up delivery in the capital city.
Stuart Godman, chief executive of Absolutely, says: “With a long history in the industry, we know that same day delivery is essential for keeping businesses of all sizes moving. This move is great news for our existing customers, and we look forward to offering them access to DPD’s broader range of services in due course. But for now, it’s very much business as usual.”
DPD currently delivers more than 400 million parcels a year for ecommerce and multichannel retailers. It has built a position in sustainable delivery that includes the UK’s first all-electric parcel delivery depot, in Westminster and means it now has 3,000 electric vehicles on the road in the UK.
