The UK’s largest dedicated parcel delivery company, Evri, has announced that it has taken a controlling interest in one of Ireland’s fastest growing logistics businesses, COLL-8.
Evri has described the move as a “landmark acquisition”, allowing it to better serve a burgeoning Irish e-commerce market, cutting current delivery times to the country in half for UK brands.
The company’s CEO, Martijn De Lange, has boasted that the integration of COLL-8’s market-leading customs clearance systems will also provide a “seamless gateway” to wider European markets.
Furthermore, the deal is an indication of the rapid rise of COLL-8, which only began operations in 2021.
In addition to transforming the means by which UK retailers ship to consumers in Ireland, COLL-8 has developed drop2shop, an award-winning nationwide network by which shoppers can collect and return online orders.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dave Field, said that the deal amounted to a “thorough vindication” of his original vision.
“When we launched, we knew the size of the challenge that we faced but we were convinced that we had a better, more cost-effective and more environmentally-friendly way of facilitating growth in the e-commerce market in Ireland for retailers and consumers alike.
“Investing in our own technologies was a further indication of our confidence that we were on the right track, something borne out by figures and now by our integration with Evri.
“In Evri, we have found a partner which shares our belief about how best to service the e-commerce market and our ambition to establish an even greater role within it.
“I really do think that this is hugely positive for retailers in the UK and in Ireland, which will be able to capitalise on Evri’s enormous presence to reach customers on the other side of the Irish Sea even easier.
“It also promises consumers in both countries improvements on what they’ve been experienced before.”
Mr De Lange outlined how COLL-8 was “a customs clearance pioneer” and explained the acquisition as a “win-win for our customers and clients”.
“This landmark acquisition will significantly accelerate the speed of Evri’s parcel delivery and return times for our customers in the Republic of Ireland.
“We look forward to collaborating with COLL-8’s talented team to elevate our end-to-end service offering across the region, as their cutting-edge customs clearance platform will give Evri a seamless gateway into European markets.”
Founded in 1974, Evri has tripled in size in the last six years and now serves most of the UK’s major retail brands. This is the latest deal underpinning Evri’s long-term growth strategy and closely follows it announcing a strategic transaction on 14 May with DHL eCommerce UK, the e-commerce logistics specialist of DHL Group. The proposed merger between Evri and DHL eCommerce UK will lead to the combined Evri business delivering over 1 billion parcels and a further 1 billion business letters annually, bringing significant benefits to consumers and businesses by offering greater choice and cost competitive solutions.
Last year, Evri made a £57 million investment in operations, including courier recruitment and customer service enhancements.
As part of its sustainability commitments, Evri is also targeting to achieve net-zero emissions by 2035, the sector’s largest sustainable fleet, and 100% renewable energy usage.
Evri’s environmental strategy mirrors that of COLL-8, which doesn’t have its own dedicated vans or trucks to service its network of more than 500 drop2shop Pick-up and Drop-off (PUDO) locations, many of which are at premises managed by BWG, Ireland’s largest operator of convenience stores.
drop2shop uses BWG vehicles bringing stock to participating stores to carry e-commerce deliveries and returns.
The BWG fleet includes the largest contingent of CNG (compressed natural gas) powered
trucks in operation in Ireland.
It means that drop2shop has been able to reduce the expected carbon footprint for our services by more than one million road miles and 150,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions over the last year.
Under the terms of the integration with Evri, Coll-8 will continue to function as a distinct brand within the larger group.
In addition to its headquarters at Baldonell in Dublin, Coll-8 maintains a separate site at Rosemount in the city, as well as two locations in the UK – a UK head office at Runcorn and a warehouse at Tamworth.
The deal is the latest success for Mr Field. Prior to launching COLL-8, he was responsible for co-founding the company which became Ireland’s largest independent parcel delivery business, Nightline.