The parcel service provider Hermes is also expecting record volumes this year for the Christmas season.
It is assumed that 137 million shipments will be transported in Germany in the fourth quarter, around nine percent more than in the same period of the previous year, the company announced on Tuesday in Hamburg.
Hamburg - A year ago, the forecast volume increase for the Christmas business at the time was around 20 percent, so growth is now weakening.
Since the parcel industry posted huge increases in 2020 due to the corona pandemic and the comparative level is therefore high, a plus of nine percent is also a very good value.
Competitor DHL recently announced rather cautiously that it was preparing “for possible record volumes”.
Hermes is now committed to its forecast early on.
"We are well prepared for the second Christmas business under pandemic conditions," said Hermes Germany boss Olaf Schabirosky, referring to investments in digitization and optimized processes on the last mile, i.e. on the route to delivery.
To cope with the quantities, the staff, vehicle and sorting capacities have been expanded, said the manager.
According to its own information, the subsidiary of the Otto Group will be employing 3,500 additional workers for delivery, in the logistics centers and in the depots.
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Hornbach with sales growth in the second quarter
The Hornbach Group, known for its home improvement chain of the same name, increased its sales in the second fiscal quarter (as of the end of August).
Revenues increased by 3.8 percent to 1.6 billion euros.
The adjusted operating result (EBIT) rose just as strongly from 161.9 to 168.1 million euros.
The bottom line was that the group stuck 118.4 million euros - 5.7 percent more than in the previous year, as the company announced on Thursday.
Hornbach with sales growth in the second quarter
Good sugar beet harvest in southern Germany
The sugar beet harvest in southern Germany is good.
The sugar yield per hectare is currently around ten percent above the average of the past five years, said the managing director of the Association of South German Sugar Beet Growers, Fred Zeller, of the German Press Agency.
"The pretty good expectations are confirmed - but it is not the case that the trees grow into the sky."
Good sugar beet harvest in southern Germany
Shortage of parts: Knaus Tabbert cashes in on the forecast
The lack of parts spoils the forecast for the motorhome manufacturer Knaus Tabbert.
The company withdrew its previous forecasts for sales growth and margin on Thursday morning and justified this with "increasing material shortages along the supply chain".
Shortage of parts: Knaus Tabbert cashes in on the forecast
The parcel service providers are already able to estimate the quantities of shipments sent up to the end of the year, as they have concluded contracts in advance with the dealers whose goods they are transporting.
The last three months of a year are considered the Christmas season in the parcel industry - it is the most labor-intensive period for the industry, especially after the retail sales campaign “Black Friday” at the end of November and shortly before Christmas Eve, business is booming.
With DPD and UPS, Hermes is one of the larger competitors of the market leader Deutsche Post DHL.
dpa
