OREANDA-NEWS. DHL Parcel Austria began operations in Austria in September of 2015 and in this short period of time has managed to establish a solid foothold in the domestic parcel market. One year after the market launch, the subsidiary of Deutsche Post DHL Group has taken stock of its successful first year.

"The way in which our business has performed has been extraordinarily positive," said G?nter Birnstingl, Managing Director of DHL Parcel Austria. "Within a year, we have been able to build up an infrastructure that allows us to successfully serve every postal code in Austria." One reason the company has been so successful is the dynamic development in online retailing - more and more Austrians are buying an ever greater variety of goods online. According to current studies, more than 50% of online shoppers in Austria order goods from other countries, with purchases from German online retailers the most frequent. According to the studies, the e-commerce market in Austria is expected to double by 2020.

DHL Parcel made a targeted decision to focus on the needs of these e-commerce customers and parcel recipients. Price advantages and flexibility play the most significant roles here, as reflected, for example, in the successful establishment of nationwide delivery on Saturdays and customer-oriented evening delivery to the 3.7 million households in Austria right after the market launch of the company.

First logistics centers in Vienna and Graz

In the city of Graz, the first fully automated logistics center will begin operating this month before the location in the Cargo Center takes over the function as primary hub for southern and southeastern Austria in the DHL parcel network. In the Liesing district of the city of Vienna, the second logistics center is currently under construction, offering 30,000 square meters of space. It will begin operations next year and take over parcel delivery for greater metropolitan Vienna and the central districts.

"Thanks to some 1,900 parcel shops across Austria we can already provide customer-friendly parcel services - whether customers need to pick up or post their parcels," said Birnstingl. "This number is expected to surpass 2,000 by the end of the year."