Fastway Couriers takes on global brand name

08/07/2019

Fastway Couriers, one of New Zealand’s oldest courier businesses, is adopting the brand name of its international parent company Aramex.

The change gives New Zealand businesses a seamless delivery network across the world as well as increasing delivery channels into New Zealand for global e-commerce retailers.

Established in Hawke’s Bay in 1983 by Bill McGowan, Fastway Couriers New Zealand has 18 regional franchisees with over 250 courier franchisees from the far north to Bluff in the South Island.

Aramex, a Dubai-based logistics group bought Fastway Couriers New Zealand in January 2016 for $125 million. Aramex is considered one of the top 5 logistics providers in the world with a presence in 72 countries, transporting nearly 70 million parcels globally each year.

Fastway Couriers NZ chief executive Scott Jenyns said the time was right to adopt the Aramex name with the significant rise in the parcel movements across the globe due to the explosion in e-commerce retail shopping and new technology advanced products.

“We are retaining our unique franchise business model but are gaining a global mindset with access to new innovations, new technologies and new shipping destinations.

“This is a major step forward for our local franchise operators but also for many New Zealand businesses that either export products to the world or import to New Zealand.

“The parcel and delivery industry has changed dramatically over the past 35 years, which started as a business to business offering but today over 80 percent of parcel movements are smaller than 3 kilograms and delivered to residential properties due to online retail.”

Mr Jenyns said the name change will also better align New Zealand with the Aramex international business strategy and extends the New Zealand service offering to the movement of envelope sized parcels to large shipping containers.

“We will now be able to position our New Zealand business as a full service logistics company which is of significant benefit to local exporters and importers, as well as international businesses sending products here.

Aramex Regional Chief Executive Officer Andy van der Velde said introducing the Aramex brand to New Zealand reflects the country as one of the most rapidly growing e-commerce markets in the region and we can serve more businesses and consumers online and through our strengthened distribution network.

“We can now tell a simple story to our international customers that Aramex is in New Zealand and can deliver to and from the country and this will have significant benefits for our NZ business partners,” Mr van der Velde said.

Mr Jenyns said the brand roll out will take approximately three months to complete and includes rebranding all of our nationwide offices and depots, over 300+courier vehicles and for 500+ people employed and engaged with the company in New Zealand a brand-new look to their uniform. Our transport company (Transport Linehaul Ltd) will be completed in 2020.

“It’s a big exercise which has been keenly welcomed by our business franchisees and our business partners.

“The change is about improving how we move parcels. We can leverage off Aramex’s global footprint in New Zealand and introduce new products and services to build a bigger, stronger business in New Zealand and grow our franchisees in the process.

“We’ll still be local franchisees, in local regions, and this is very important to us as franchising remains in our DNA. The key point of difference is that now we’ll be able to offer greater global reach and opportunities to our customers and our people through career advancement opportunities.

“We have received increasingly positive feedback and there is a general feeling of excitement about what opportunities this could present for each of the regions in the near future.