Logistics and transportation company DHL Express this year expanded its national footprint by more than 130% through partnerships with local business and retailers located across the country. Having identified a growing need among local small- and medium-sized enterprises and consumers for express courier services, the company grew its retail footprint to cover more than 650 locations across South Africa in just nine months.

“In this day and age, consumers crave convenience. Our expansion strategy will enable our retail customers to find a DHL retail outlet right around the corner,” says DHL Express SA commercial director Wayne van Rensburg.

Following a successful 22-year retail partnership with South Africa’s largest privately owned counter network in the document and parcel industry, PostNet, the decision was taken to extend a similar partnership offering to other prominent retailers.

Retail solutions provider for print, courier, photographic and business services 3@1 Business Centre was the first new partner to come on board earlier this year. Van Rensburg says this partnership was a good strategic fit, given 3@1’s 75 franchises countrywide, as well as the diverse customer base that the one-stop business centre caters to.

DHL Express also partnered with South Africa’s largest consumer electronics and information technology retailer Incredible Connection. “Again, we saw great synergy in Incredible Connection’s national presence and its focus on supporting small businesses,” he adds. Other companies that DHL Express has partnered with this year include product and solutions provider Bidvest Waltons and retailer Barksole, as well as a number of independent entities.

“Our aim is to connect South Africa with global opportunities and the world at large, and we need to be easily accessible to do that,” says Van Rensburg.

These retail partners now conveniently offer their customers DHL Express’s services alongside their standard offerings, giving customers access to more than 220 countries and territories that DHL Express serves. DHL Express partners earn commission on all shipments and enjoy the benefit of increased foot traffic and a positive association with a leading global brand.

Further, the company’s footprint expansion in South Africa mirrors DHL Express’s aggressive retail expansion strategy across sub- Saharan Africa, which prompted the company to expand its footprint to 5 800 retail outlets in 2015.

DHL Delivers Campaign
To celebrate its Afrocam expansion and new partnerships, DHL launched its ‘DHL Delivers’ campaign on November 9, in time for the festive season. Consumers are encouraged to fill a virtual gift box to the value of R12 500 with items on DHL’s website and ‘virtually’ deliver the box to their closest DHL retail partner.

All locations are loaded on the site and consumers can choose to send the box to themselves or to a friend. Eight winners a week, for five weeks, will be selected and will receive their chosen prizes. Also, all shipments sent from DHL retail partners in South Africa from November 9 to December 18 will go into a draw and stand a chance of winning a share of R100 000 cash.