Marlow: NetDespatch acquired by Royal Mail to strengthen technology capability
NetDespatch, a leading cloud-based shipping and parcel data management platform for postal and parcel carriers, has been acquired by Royal Mail. This new move will enable NetDespatch to not only broaden and deepen the services it offers, but also expand its global footprint.
The financial terms of the deal will not be disclosed, but NetDespatch will operate as a standalone external-facing subsidiary, enabling it to continue to securely provide services to its customers – both existing and new.
The NetDespatch business will remain under the leadership and management of NetDespatch directors, Matthew Robertson and Matthew Clark, and will continue to operate in accordance with the terms and conditions of the agreements with its customers, and in line with industry best practice.
NetDespatch has experienced significant year-on-year growth with the rise of ecommerce and today it helps more than 100,000 businesses in over 100 countries worldwide to ship parcels more quickly and efficiently. With a fast-growing list of industry partners, NetDespatch enables order delivery data to be automatically transferred from a retailer’s system to their chosen carrier, automatically printing shipping labels, manifests and custom documentation, as well as generating any required data files. In addition, tracking is available from point of despatch to point of delivery.
Matthew Robertson, NetDespatch commercial director, commented: “We are incredibly proud of our achievements to date and believe that this acquisition will help us to continue to grow and to better service all of our clients. Our aim is to make what is a relatively complex process simple, delivering improvements and savings to everyone in the supply chain from retailer to carrier to consumer. E-commerce is exploding in the run up to Christmas and we expect to continue to steam ahead in 2016 and beyond.”
Nick Landon, managing director of Royal Mail Parcels, commented: “The acquisition of NetDespatch supports our strategy of providing our customers with leading-edge ecommerce software. It allows customers with complex IT estates to integrate with us quickly and with the minimum of effort allowing them to improve the service they offer to shoppers. We are confident that this acquisition will support the continued growth of our parcels business with new and innovative software solutions as the needs of our customers evolve.”
You can read our profile of NetDespatch founder, Becky Clark here.
