DHL announces $137m investment plan for US markets

Deutsche Post DHL will be investing $137 million into its ecommerce and supply chain businesses in the US, according to a statement.

CEO of DHL eCommerce Charles Brewer says that the investment is based on the positive outlook of the ecommerce business. “It is expected that one billion people will shop online and across borders by 2020 with the U.S. being the most popular origin for 25 percent of consumers worldwide,” Brewer explains.

The aim of the investment is to “expand our leading role in cross-border e-commerce logistics, serve our U.S. customers with the best possible infrastructure and solutions, and gain future market shares.”

DHL already opened one e-commerce order fulfilment centre in Columbus, Ohio, and another in Los Angeles, last year. It plans to expand these and build another eight. This is in addition to a recent $1.3 million DHL Express service centre and £35 million DHL Global Forwarding distribution centre, both in Chicago.

The global e-commerce market is predicted to reach a value of $1 trillion by 2020. A recent boost in cross-border e-commerce in the US is partly the result of the recently changed de minimis limit, which was raised from $200 to $800.

(Source: Wall Street Journal, Post & Parcel)