Dutch e-tailer Wehkamp launches bike delivery

By

Shomara Roosblad

Published
Nov 27, 2017

Online department store Wehkamp, known for fashion, beauty, leisure and living, will start bike delivery. After a successful pilot, the e-tailer, together with partners DHL and Fietskoeriers.nl (an online bike courier company) will launch the new initiative in 12 cities across the country.

According to Wehkamp, planning agencies expect mobility growth up to the year 2050, which means that many Dutch cities it will become busier. Wehkamp, DHL and Fietskoeriers.nl are continuously looking for opportunities to respond to this and to contribute to the accessibility of inner cities, according to the brands.  

The partnership applies in the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Almere, Arnhem, Deventer, Hilversum, Hengelo, Eindhoven, Groningen, Tilburg and Zwolle. Fietskoeriers.nl will provide part of the delivery in these cities, in the ‘last mile’ of the delivery process.

Sander Bolmer, Director Warehousing and Distribution at Wehkamp said: “In order to continue to meet the customer’s wishes and to keep cities accessible, collaboration is important, even in those last few kilometers. As a Dutch company, bike delivery fits us well. After all, the Netherlands is really a cycling country. This way we can physically reach the customer even better and make them happy.”

“DHL is a forerunner when it comes to the use of bicycle couriers. This partnership is a great addition to our own (bicycle) network and fits perfectly with our ambition to be fully CO2-neutral in 2050,” says Roelof Hofman, VP Operations at DHL Parcel.

Although the venture launches in 12 cities, all parties shared the ambition to expand the number of cities in the coming period.

Launched in 1952, Wehkamp started as a mail order company. In 2006, the company launched as an online department store. Today, the retailer has over 2 million customers, more than 500,000 web visitors per day and sends more than 10 million packages per year. The assortment consists of more than 400,000 different products from 2,000 brands, including Clinique, Falke, River Island, Supertrash and Swarovski.