Parcelnet is set to rebrand as Hermes following the decision to integrate the company into a newly-formed European services division.
Parcelnet and Hermes Logistik Gruppe are sister companies, both owned by the Otto Group, which also owns Freemans and Grattan.
Hermes is one of the largest home delivery services in Germany and also has a presence in Austria, France and Italy.
The combined operation already handles 22 per cent of home deliveries across Europe and the move is part of a wider strategy to build a sustainable international business and create the first cross-border business to consumer delivery system.
Catalogue retailers JD Williams and Lands’ End will be the first companies to use the service. Consumer goods will be collected in the UK for onward delivery to private addresses across Germany.
An investment in IT and infrastructure is also planned, including the introduction of electronic signature capture across all services to meet customer demand for real-time tracking of parcels.
In addition, a new head office and a national hub are due to open later this year, and a wider service offering will also be introduced including cross-border delivery and a next-day service in the UK.
Carole Woodhead, chief executive of Hermes in the UK, said: “Adopting the Hermes brand name represents a new journey or the company and is yet another exciting step in the evolution of our business.
