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Amazon distribution center in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Second largest provider of parcel shipments
Photo: Jens Büttner / dpa
The online retailer Amazon is increasingly competing with Deutsche Post. This is shown by an evaluation by the Federal Network Agency. "In the parcel sector, Amazon is the second-largest provider after the market leader Deutsche Post DHL," writes the highest regulatory authority for the parcel market. Amazon's market share has recently risen to a corridor between 15 and 25 percent. Parcel services such as DPD, GLS, Hermes and UPS would account for 5 to 15 percent. DHL accounts for more than 40 percent.
Overall, according to the network agency, more and more parcels are being sent. In 2022, it was 4.25 billion. Forecasts for 2023 showed an increase of more than three percent to 4.39 billion units. "Online retail is still on the rise," said Klaus Müller, head of the network agency. "Parcel volumes have grown considerably in recent years."
The situation is different in the mail market, which is dominated by Swiss Post, where mail volumes continue to shrink due to advancing digitalisation. In 2022, 2.2 percent fewer letters were sent in the Federal Republic, it said. "This trend seems irreversible," Müller said. In total, there were around 11.9 billion shipments.
The German government also wants to react to the dwindling letter business with a new postal law. The Ministry of Economic Affairs plans to give Swiss Post more time to deliver letters, but at the same time they should reach consumers more reliably. According to the plans, the Federal Network Agency will be given more powers and will be able to impose higher fines in the event of violations of the law. The law is to be adopted by the Federal Cabinet before the end of December.
In 2023, the network agency expects more than 40,000 citizen complaints on postal topics. The regulator therefore expressly welcomed the plans for a new postal law.
ssu/dpa