The German courier, express and parcel (CEP) market is now expected to grow by 4.5-5% in terms of volumes this year and even more strongly next year, according to slightly higher new figures from the country’s Parcels and Express Logistics Association (BIEK).
About 140 million additional shipments are expected by the end of the year compared to 2014, a study by KE Consult for the association revealed. This equals up to 400,000 shipments transported on a daily basis.
“The courier, express and parcels industry is looking back at a successful year 2015,” BIEK chairman Florian Gerster said. “The figures underline once again the efficiency and quality of the infrastructure networks of the express and parcel service providers.”
The new growth figure for 2015 is slightly ahead of the forecast made in the association’s most recent annual market study, which was published in July. At the time, BIEK forecast volume growth of 4-4.5% this year, including a 5% rise in B2C parcels, a 3% increase for B2B parcels, and increases of up to 2.5% for courier and express shipments.
In 2014, the German CEP market grew by 4.5% to a total of 2.8 billion shipments, driven by the rising B2C and international business, while revenues increased by 3.6% to €16.6 billion, the study by KE Consult revealed.
Looking ahead, BIEK now expects parcel volumes to increase even more strongly in 2016 to reach 5-5.5% growth. The final results for 2015 and updated forecasts for 2016 will be published in the association’s CEP market study 2016.
In the longer term, BIEK predicted in July average annual volume growth of 6.4% for the next few years, leading to nearly 3.8 billion shipments in 2019. This is well ahead of the 3.6% average annual growth seen from 2000 to 2014, with the strong growth driven mostly by e-commerce as well as economic growth in Germany and an improving European economy.
Parcel volumes are predicted to grow by 6.6% a year while express/courier shipments would increase by 4.4%. The industry expects international shipments to grow strongly by 8.3% a year up to 2019.
Founded in 1982, BIEK comprises most of the leading providers for courier, express and parcel services in Germany, including UPS, TNT, DPD, Hermes and GO!.
