Specials - ITJ | Transport Journal

36 Forwarding & Logistics International Transport Journal 35-36 2013The Southeast European courier, express and parcels marketNew GLS company in CroatiaThe pan-European parcels service provider GLS has expanded its own network insoutheastern Europe. At the beginning of August the firm’s Croatian nationalsubsidiary GLS Croatia started operations in the newest EU member state.Just one short month after Croatia joinedthe EU on 1 July 2013, GLS is alreadypresent in the country with its own pannationalnetwork. The CEP service providerwill initially operate from four locations,namely in Zagreb, Rijeka, Split andOsijek. These centres have been set up inthe time since GLS Croatia was foundedin late May. The GLS Group had previouslyserved Croatia as part of a cooperationdeal with a network partner.GLS believes that Croatia offers greatopportunities, as its economy is likelyto benefit from membership of the EU,amongst other reasons. Rico Back, theCEO of the GLS group, said that it isusually the case that «demand for just-intimedeliveries rises as soon as customsformalities are done away with. That iswhy it’s important that we’re able to offerour international customers in the easternand southern EU short delivery times andcomprehensive services.» Gergely Farkas,the managing director of GLS EuropeEast, manages the new GLS subsidiary.Photo: GLSGLS vans are set to become a familiar sight onCroatia’s roads in the near future.Short delivery timesGLS’s Popovec depot (near Zagreb) is thefirm’s national distribution centre. Farkassaid that «GLS will deliver national parcelsin Croatia with a standard deliverytime of 24 hours right from the start.Numerous additional services, such ascash on delivery and notifying private recipientsof imminent deliveries, are naturallyalso available right from the outset.»International transports will be routedthrough Zagreb from September. Scheduleddaily westbound connections toLjubljana (Slovenia), Ansfelden (Austria)and GLS’s European hub in Neuenstein(Germany) are augmented by links tothe east via GLS’s own hub in Budapest(Hungary). Daily GLS runs from Croatiato Hungary and Slovenia, for example,will offer standard delivery times of between24 and 48 hours. edited by rawww.gls-group.euOur globaltransportationsolutions…create valuefor ourclients…by providingair and ocean…FTL and LTL…customsbrokerage…and now,our new NorthAmerica…