UPS and Poste Italiane have completed an agreement for UPS to carry the Italian postal service’s international express shipments.
The service is scheduled to start Nov. 27 for the 14,000 post offices Poste Italiane operates across Italy. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
UPS, Atlanta, also said it is finalizing details to use the Poste Italiane network for its own pickup and final delivery in certain extended areas of Italy.
The UPS venture with Rome-based Poste Italiane is part of its strategy to make it easier for shippers everywhere to access global markets.
The partnership with UPS is also part of Poste Italiane’s strategy to strengthen its position in the express courier domestic market.
The group includes SDA express mail and logistics services; Mototaxi city bike couriers; Postecom Internet services; Postel hybrid electronic mail and document processing; and PosteVita and BancoPosta Fondi life insurance and investment solutions.
As a result of the agreement, UPS said businesses in Italy can use their services to get Italian-made goods to places around the world, like Asia, where a growing middle class is hungry for Italy’s quality products and top brands.
The UPS strategy calls for the creation of new growth opportunities for the company by forging alliances and partnerships around the world, including with national postal services.
This year, UPS is celebrating 30 years of service in Europe, where it has recorded nine consecutive years of export growth.
In addition to its core postal services, the Poste Italiane Group offers communication, logistic and financial services across Italy.
