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DHL Parcel is a business unit of the Deutsche Post DHL Group and transports overnight parcels and pallets to businesses and consumers over its network. Xolv is their broker for credit insurance and also provides them with reliable and up-to-date business information.

Gijsbert Burggraaf, CFO of DHL Parcel, says: "DHL Parcel originated from the former Van Gend & Loos and Selektvracht. We deliver parcels and pallets to businesses and consumers in the Benelux. In the Netherlands, DHL Parcel is the biggest player after PostNL. Together we control around 90% of the market. In the consumer market, our market share is 35% and in the B-to-B market we are the largest."

E-commerce exploded
"Xolv recommended engaging with Coface because, unlike companies that purely provide business information, Coface also insures credit risks themselves. So they themselves also benefit from a correct creditworthiness analysis," Gijsbert states. DHL Parcel's customer palette is broad. From large e-commerce companies like Amazon, Hema, Wehkamp, Bol.com and Chinese parties to small webshops. In terms of Covid-19, therefore, DHL Parcel was on the right side. Gijsbert: "Since the first lockdown in early 2020, online shopping has exploded and, of course, all those packages have to be delivered. As a result, our growth accelerated considerably. In fact, the consumer market grew by more than 100%. Growth that largely endures, because people over 50 have now also become accustomed to the convenience of online shopping."

Expansion and greening
The volume growth triggered by the lockdowns allowed DHL Parcel to accelerate its investments. Gijsbert: "You see the yellow cars DHL is using more and more on the road, and in many cases these are electric cars. DHL Parcel has an intricate network of 25 central and regional hubs and 140 local hubs. In the past three years, three major sorting hubs were added, including the largest and greenest in the Benelux, and 26 new CityHubs are currently under construction. We also invested in further digitalisation, including a new app that communicates more easily with consumers. This allows webshops to offer their customers a more pleasant customer journey."

'They are critical and challenging towards the insurer'

Critical negotiator
Gijsbert generously admits that DHL Parcel itself does not have all the expertise in credit insurance. "So an expert broker is no luxury. A broker like Xolv knows that world like no other. They speak the language of credit insurers. They know exactly what to look out for and how to negotiate with them. Firmly, if necessary. This allows Xolv to deliver tailor-made solutions with better conditions and more competitive rates."

Immediate click
"In our search for a broker, we looked at several parties and with Xolv it clicked immediately. They think along with us but, as a sparring partner, they also offer countermeasures. They take us through the process of finding possible solutions and so they educated us a bit in this, so to speak. We ourselves are now looking more critically at our customer portfolio and the possible risks," says Gijsbert.