Royal Mail in parcel deal with Chinese firm ZJS Express

The Royal Mail's European parcels business is launching a partnership with a Chinese firm.

The UK postal group said its GLS business will form an alliance with ZJS Express to provide a business-to-business parcel delivery service from China to Europe.

Royal Mail said that as letter volumes decline, the group is targeting parcels and marketing mail.

Mark Thomson, managing director international at Royal Mail Group, said: "China is a key trading partner for Europe. The China-to-Europe parcels market is growing rapidly. Last year China was the biggest exporter of goods to the EU.

"This presents us with a great opportunity to link our European operations with ZJS Express's network for the benefit of Chinese businesses exporting to Europe."

Chen Xianbao, president of ZJS, said: "ZJS Express has a well-established, trusted reputation for providing high-quality, next-day and two-day parcel service in China across provinces, cities, counties and districts from remote outposts such as Huoerguosi Port in Xingjing to great cities such as Shanghai and Xi'an.

"This co-operation now enables us to meet our customers' demands to extend our high-quality service to major European countries."

PA