In response to the extreme growth of e-commerce in 2020 and the record number of parcels transported in the main season, the parcel delivery company GLS Czech Republic accelerated the planned expansion of the national and international sorting centre in Jihlava. The new hall with an area of 4640 m2 will meet environmental standards and will increase capacity up to 2.5 times. The investment in the first stage, which will make it possible to process 50% more consignments during the peak season 2021, amounts to EUR 12 million and brings up to 100 new jobs. In the presence of state officials, the first column of the hall was erected in Jihlava today.

The year 2020 will go down in history not only as a coronavirus year, but also as a year of a massive transition to online life around the world. E-commerce and related parcel transport proved to be an indispensable part of the infrastructure at a time when the stores remained closed due to government regulations. GLS Czech Republic responded to the expansion of e-commerce by expanding the hub in Jihlava. The first column of the hall was ceremoniously erected today with the participation of the President of the Senate Miloš Vystrčil, the Governor of the Vysočina Region Vítězslav Schrek, the Councilor of Jihlava Martin Laštovička and a representative of the Chamber of Commerce. The column also includes a copper box containing a message for future generations and describing the time in which this building is being built.

"We are glad that many brick-and-mortar stores and small tradesmen managed to enter the world of internet sales with our support. The high-quality and robust GLS network easily handled the extraordinary demands of the number of B2C shipments, the maximum of which reached more than double 2019. In order to be able to meet customer requirements, we began construction of the next stage of the international sorting centre in Jihlava. Start of operation is planned for autumn of 2021. The entire sorting centre is being built with maximum use of sustainable development practices and will continue to benefit the development of business in the region and the employment of its inhabitants," says Pavel Včela, Director of GLS Czech Republic.

Capacity increase by 2.5 times and up to 100 new jobs

“The investment in the hub, which in the first stage will reach EUR 12 million, will bring other benefits to the GLS transmission network by further increasing the international importance of Jihlava, which already has daily direct connections with nodes in Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovakia or Hungary”, adds Pavel Včela."The construction of the new hall will increase capacity by 50% at this stage, in the future it will be up to 2.5 times the existing capacity. Thanks to the expansion, up to 100 new jobs will be created in the region,”

The entire building will also meet GLS environmental standards. "Heat pumps will be used for heating, thermal insulation will be strengthened, rainwater and LED lighting will be used. The building will have a green facade and will also meet the conditions for the future use of emission-free vehicles or the use of the roof for photovoltaic panels" explains Pavel Včela.

• Quality and environmental seal confirmed
• ISO 9001 und 14001 certificates in 18 countries
• GDP certification in six countries
• HACCP conformity in Germany

Amsterdam, 10. November 2020. The quality and environmental management system of the GLS Group has been recertified in Europe for another three years – in accordance with ISO 9001 and 14001. GDP certification has also been confirmed in five countries of the international parcel service provider, and a new GDP seal has been added for Spain.

The certificates confirm that the GLS Group aligns its actions daily with the high quality and environmental standards and continuously improves processes. Dr Karl Pfaff, Chairman of the Management Board of GLS Germany, received the certificates from Dr Rolf Krökel, Managing Director DEKRA Certificates GmbH, on behalf of the GLS Group on 30 October 2020.

For the GLS companies in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France and Ireland the certificates according to Good Distribution Practice (GDP Guideline 2013/C 343/01) were successfully renewed. In Spain, GLS also fulfils the strict safety and hygiene requirements for the non-temperature-controlled transport of pharmaceuticals. GLS Spain received the GDP certificate at the end of May. This means that GLS now offers GDP-compliant services for the health and pharmaceutical industries in six countries. In Germany DEKRA simultaneously confirmed the effectiveness of GLS's HACCP concept

• Uncomplicated international returns shipment with the GLS ParcelShops
• Available across borders in thirteen countries
• Convenient returns management for private recipients

Amsterdam, 26. October 2020. The parcel service provider GLS expands the international returns shipment over the GLS ParcelShops by further four countries. With the ShopReturnService, GLS customers and their private recipients have a flexible returns solution for national and cross-border returns within Europe.

The ShopReturnService was previously available across borders for the countries Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Austria, the Netherlands, Hungary and Poland. From now on, GLS customers can book this service additionally for the countries Great Britain, Slovakia, Spain and the Czech Republic. By the end of the current calendar year, France, Finland and Slovenia will also be connected, so that full European coverage will be nearly achieved. The online portal, which was launched in July this year specifically for this service, can be individually configured and branded by GLS customers, as well as easily and comfortably linked to their own website by using an interface.

Useful also for the private recipient

Private recipients can easily generate their own return labels, then submit free of charge the returns to any GLS ParcelShop of their choice and easily and comfortably return items ordered abroad. GLS returns management is therefore fast and consumer-friendly.

GLS opens EuropeanEcoHub in Essen

• European hub as a strategic pillar of the international network
• Focus on sustainability and climate neutrality, e.g. via self-sufficient power supply
• Building investments of around 15 million euros
• Extension of capacity to up to 200,000 parcels per day
• 250 to 300 new work places already at the start

Neuenstein, 29 September 2020. Yesterday GLS connected the new EuropeanEcoHub in Essen to the network – in the presence of Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart, Minister for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalisation and Energy of the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The Hub can currently handle up to 75,000 shipments per day. The operation is sustainable: the photovoltaic and battery storage system is already designed for predominantly self-sufficient parcel production and the delivery in Essen will be emission-free by the end of next year.

European hub, autarchic electricity supply, emission-free delivery and a biotope for species requiring protection: "This location sets completely new standards within the framework of our GLS KlimaProtect programme – especially with regard to sustainable operation," explains Dr. Karl Pfaff, Chairman of the Management Board of GLS Germany. "At the same time, Essen is an important pillar in the regional and international GLS network". The GLS building investment totals about 15 million euros. At the beginning 250 to 300 workplaces will be created in Essen – about 165 will be GLS employees and over 100 will be created via GLS transport partners.

Regional and international

Germany's second largest location is an important pillar for the expansion of capacity in the Ruhr region. In its European hub function, Essen also acts as an international gateway –especially between Germany and the Benelux countries. In the first construction phase, a handling hall of approximately 8,500 square metres was built on the 53,000 square metre site in Essen-Bergeborbeck. Thanks to the latest conveyor technology and over 155 gates for loading and unloading, up to 75,000 parcels can already be handled daily. In a second expansion stage, GLS will be able to handle up to 200,000 parcels per day from the 30 unloading, 95 loading and 210 delivery gates.

Sustainable and self-sufficient

"By creating increasingly closed resource cycles for electricity, water and air, we have achieved three innovative milestones in the operation of a sustainable logistics location that go far beyond our previous environmental solutions," adds Gero Liebig, GLS Region Manager West.

The three innovative milestones in concrete terms:

• There are 880 high performance photovoltaic modules installed on the roof of the hall, which produce an output of 300 KWp or 286 MWh per year. A battery storage in a 20-foot container ensures depot operation and the supply of the charging infrastructure for e-vehicles even without sunlight. The system is already designed to operate the parcel production facility 160 days a year independently of the Essen power suppliers.
• In addition to covering the internal water consumption, the rainwater utilisation system has other ecologically valuable applications like supplying the 1,800 square meter green roof and, in particular, ensuring consistent water levels in the newt ponds.
• The same applies to our proven heat pump technology, which can now use "green electricity" to cool down the air in the halls by up to 4 degrees in a climate-neutral manner during the increasingly hot summer months to improve working conditions.

"Our European-wide parcel service should not only be of high quality, but also sustainable. That is why we are constantly testing and implementing new resource-saving and climate-neutral solutions throughout Europe," says Dr. Karl Pfaff. "The new EuropeanEcoHub in Essen therefore has a model character for the entire Group".

By the end of next year, GLS will have over 20 electric vehicles in use in Essen. In addition, charging points are available for the vehicles of employees, transport partners and their delivery drivers and visitors.

Biodiversity and protection of species

There is also a large biotope on the area: on 4,875 square metres of land, GLS sustainably operates professionally designed pond facilities and various land habitats for six species of newts, toads and frogs requiring protection. The 3,500 animals were collected by experts over several months before construction work began and have now found their new, ideal habitat, safely separated from the operating area by special fencing.

GLS Ireland is continuing its commitment to Triathlon Ireland by serving as official delivery partner. In its third year of sponsorship, GLS staff will also be present at five events. The opening event was already a great success.

With merchandise and an ice cream truck, the GLS tent and van proofed to be a popular attraction at the TriAthy in Athy, Co. Kildare, which kicked off the season on the June bank holiday. Support for four more events will follow over the summer.

The events will include social media competitions under the hashtag GoingTheDistance. The main price, a Fitbit watch, will help the winner get started or continue on their own fitness journey.

Creating a healthier Ireland

The sponsorship, which will last until the Olympic year 2020, is in line with GLS’ goal of helping to create a healthier Ireland. Besides developing elite athletes, Triathlon Ireland encourages people of all fitness levels to become more active. Overall, the organisation has more than 20,000 members that participate in over 200 races annually.

The upcoming event dates:

• Saturday 13th July – Two Province Triathlon, Lanesborough, Co. Longford
• Sunday 4th August – Loughrea, Co.Galway
• Saturday 17th August – Dublin City Triathlon
• Saturday 24th August – Jailbreak Triathlon, Cobh, Co. Cork

The GLS Group has expanded its commitment on the American continent with a new partnership. From June 2019, Estafeta will deliver GLS consignments in Mexico and, in a second step, will feed parcels for Europe and North America into the GLS network.

Estafeta is the second-largest logistics, courier and parcel service provider in Mexico and covers the fifth-largest country in the Americas with an extensive network and over 6,500 employees. The company’s infrastructure includes three hubs and 57 depots. Six airplanes and 3,600 vehicles are deployed for transportation and delivery.

GLS customers in Europe and North America will benefit from the connection to the modern and high-performance network in Mexico, that complements the existing operation in the US and Canada. With North America and Europe, GLS connects the world’s biggest trade regions

At GLS Ireland’s Dublin depot, employees have been meeting regularly for joint training sessions. With the support of mentors provided by Triathlon Ireland, the team has built a fitness momentum in light of GLS’ recently introduced well-being programme.

GLS Ireland is committed to doing its part in creating a healthier Ireland and has in the past supported Triathlon Ireland. As part of the company’s well-being programme, the GLS team has been working out with trainers to raise the overall fitness level of the participants. Along with physical activities, the initiative is accompanied by healthy cooking demonstrations at the Dublin depot and monthly blog posts around healthy living.

Couch to 5K

Come rain or shine: the team has been training in a Couch to 5K effort every Tuesday since March. The fitness routines have been coordinated for all fitness types – beginners, intermediate and advanced. This has built up the confidence of the team in getting started or continuing on the fitness journey. Sessions vary from high intensity interval training (HIIT) to jogging and fast-paced walks.

“It started as an initiative about health, but it has been great for team spirit as well”, says Jennifer Harper, HR Business Partner at GLS Ireland and in charge of its well-being programme. “I for one look forward to my Tuesday runs with the team.”

International e-commerce simplified further

Italy, Portugal, Finland and Bulgaria have recently been added to the international FlexDeliveryService. The number of countries connected across borders via the service thus rises to 21.

Web shops and their customers, in particular, benefit from the international connection via the service, as delivery according to the recipient’s choice rounds off a shopping experience abroad. No matter in which of the affiliated countries online shoppers order goods – GLS will inform them about the delivery in their native language.

Delivery according to choice

Depending on the country in question, recipients will then have various options to manage the time and location of their delivery. GLS or the network partner in the country adapts flexibly to the needs of recipients. This includes, for example, parcel delivery on a desired day, forwarding to a different address or the delivery to a selected ParcelShop.

A pan-European service

In addition to the 21 countries connected in all directions, the FlexDeliveryService has already been set up for export parcels to Greece. GLS is preparing to connect further countries.

More about FlexDeliverService

To the press release

GLS Ireland once again supported and motivated the fast-growing triathlon community, with “Off the Ball” sports commentator Dave McIntyre taking part as a celebrity competitor.

GLS has been one of the main sponsors of the sport’s governing body Triathlon Ireland since 2017. This year, triathlon novice Dave McIntyre trained in his role as a sporting ambassador for GLS, with fans able to follow his progress in swimming, cycling and running via Twitter and Facebook.

Dave McIntyre used the initiative to support the Peter McVerry Trust, which combats homelessness. He not only donated his entire fee, but raised more than 5,000 euros via his GoFundMe page – with the first 500 euros coming as an extra donation from GLS.

Sport and fun with GLS

In addition, GLS was live at four triathlon events (Athy, Loughrea, Mullingar and Dublin), with GLS employees running a variety of initiatives from a tent. The highlight was a prize draw for a Garmin watch at the Dublin City Triathlon, with Dave McIntyre personally presenting the prize to the beaming winner.

GLS Ireland has moved to a new construction in Blarney Business Park ahead of the Christmas rush. Capacity has been increased significantly.

With the new depot, GLS is well prepared for further growth. The warehouse is 240 per cent bigger than the previous depot in Little Island. In addition, the new conveyor system ensures faster and more efficient processes. Three times as many parcels for the region can now be processed. A first-class level of security is provided by internal and external cameras and a high-security fence.

Strategically beneficial location

The new location is ideally connected to all main roads, meaning the international hub in Dublin can be reached quickly. At the same time, GLS is moving closer to important customers. The direct access to GLS is also beneficial for other companies in the business park.