GLS France and Pickme continue the expansion of the neighbor relay network in France after a successful first year

April 28, 2022 | Toulouse, France

Parcel delivery via GLS France Neighbor Relay, with an individual handing over a parcel to a recipient, illustrating a local and convenient delivery solution.

As the number of online orders surges, first-pass delivery by couriers has become a key challenge in e-commerce, both to reduce the carbon footprint caused by round trips and to increase customer satisfaction by delivering parcels more quickly. In 2021, GLS announced its partnership with the startup Pickme to offer its customers greater flexibility in parcel delivery, thanks to the startup’s neighbor relay network. Building on the success of this first year of collaboration, GLS and Pickme wish to continue expanding this service, which offers an eco-friendly, local delivery solution that fosters social connections. Currently available in 20 cities in France, Pickme has 70,000 registered neighbors.

Neighbor relays, a new delivery alternative in major French cities

GLS France became, at the end of 2020, the first parcel delivery company to partner with the startup Pickme to offer a new innovation of parcel pickup points directly from trusted individuals, the neighbor relays! GLS customers can now pick up their parcels at the homes of individuals who are part of the Pickme network and located near them.

After one year of collaboration, Pickme now represents 10% of the GLS France network and has increased its size by 33%. Neighbor relays are now an integral part of the service: GLS has already delivered parcels to more than 4,700 neighbor relays, which is twice the number of active pickup points in covered areas. At launch, the neighbor relay network covered Paris and many departments in the Île-de-France region. A little more than a year later, 11 major cities in France are also covered: Lille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Nantes, Strasbourg, Marseille, Nice, Montpellier, and Rennes. Pickme now aims to take the next step in its growth and offer its collaborative delivery service across the entire national territory.

Successful first-pass delivery and benefits for all

Delivery through neighbor relays brings real benefits for customers, e-commerce businesses, and carriers. This new delivery alternative enables:  Easier parcel pickups by combining availability and friendliness,

  • Improved first-pass delivery success rates,
  • Creation of social bonds between neighbors,
  • Increased number of alternative delivery points near customers' homes,
  • Reduced ecological impact of re-deliveries,
  • Premium delivery by appointment with secure hand delivery of parcels.

Thanks to this innovation, GLS France won the Gold Award at the 2020 E-commerce Trophies in the Supply Chain category.

“The partnership offers two decisive advantages: first, the neighbor relay network provides a density of nearby pickup points fifteen times higher, meaning a pickup point every 200 meters. Secondly, this cooperation allows us to reduce the carbon impact of our deliveries, as parcels are successfully delivered on the first attempt,” explains Nicolas Robert, CEO of GLS France.

“Buyers have new expectations that this system perfectly addresses: the ability to access a simplified parcel pickup experience near their homes through a perfectly seamless digital experience, while choosing a responsible delivery option,” concludes Jessie Toulcanon, CEO of Pickme.

About GLS
GLS Group is one of the largest self-reliant parcel services providers in Europe, with a strong local presence in almost all countries across the continent. It also operates through wholly-owned subsidiaries in Canada and on the USA’s West Coast within one GLS network. This allows GLS to seamlessly connect its customers and communities with millions of parcels and stories every day. GLS is proactive regarding network management, connecting its markets flexibly and agilely to respond to their fast-changing and dynamic nature. The company takes pride in providing its customers across about 40 countries with high-quality service that best suits their needs. The GLS network consists of over 120 hubs and more than 1,600 depots, supported by approximately 35,000 final-mile delivery vehicles, 4,700 long-distance trucks and more than 42,000 Parcel shops. This offers network resilience, superior flexibility, and extended reach. In 2022/23, GLS generated record revenues of 5.4 billion euros and delivered 862 million parcels across the markets. For more information, visit https://gls-group.com/

About Pickme
Jessie Toulcanon, former E-commerce and Digital Director in retail, notably at KOOKAÏ, noticed in 2019 that 60% of customer service calls were related to poor parcel delivery, which greatly damages the entire brand experience: the idea for Pickme takes shape! Samuel Rousseau and Florian Dufour-Rives join her to launch the first collaborative platform where neighbors become local pickup points. Building on the new usage they have developed, the startup aims to reach 80 cities in France by 2022 and expand quickly into the European market. More information on https://www.mypickme.com/ .

GLS France Media Contact
communication@gls-france.com