Swedish parcel locker delivery company Instabox is entering the Dutch market through the acquisition of Red je Pakketje, a Dutch market leader in same day deliveries. The acquisition gives Instabox a complete and frictionless last mile delivery solution, with home delivery, parcel locker delivery, label-free returns and flexibility to change destination during the delivery.
Founded in 2015 in Stockholm, Instabox operates one of the widest locker networks in the Nordics. With partners such as H&M and IKEA, Instabox delivers e-commerce goods to millions of consumers, mainly through lockers but also direct to the front door via emission-free bike deliveries.
Instabox has been growing by more than 300% annually, making it one of the fastest growing companies in Europe. The Dutch acquisition follows €75 million funding raise earlier this year, led by investor EQT Ventures.
Red je Pakketje has more than doubled in size each year for five consecutive years and is the Dutch market leader in same day deliveries. Instabox’s acquisition will offer a complete solution to consumers and merchants, by providing both locker and home delivery options. Both companies say they share a relentless focus on improving consumer experience and developing a sustainable, completely fossil-free parcel delivery service.
Alexis Priftis, CEO and founder of Instabox, “When we researched the Dutch market we quickly saw that Red je Pakketje have done an amazing job in creating a premium, same-day shipping service that consumers love. I’m especially excited about working with the team since they share our consumer obsession and our passion for making deliveries green.”
Sam Rohn, founder of Red je Pakketje, “This acquisition will enable us to further speed up our growth and offer the fastest most complete delivery solution on the market, whether the customer chooses to receive their parcel at home or to a locker. We know that over three quarters of consumers have abandoned an on-line shopping cart due to a lack of preferred delivery options. We hope to be able to fix that and change an industry that has been shaped by traditional postal companies.”
Locker deliveries is an emerging trend across Europe with countries such as Poland and Germany having 10-30 lockers per 100,000 inhabitants. The Netherlands currently offers less than two lockers per 100,000 inhabitants, meaning there is significant untapped potential. Instabox’s planned expansion will see the Netherlands leapfrog many countries, not only in locker proliferation – but also, it claims, in the quality of the technology.
Founder Rohn commented: “Instabox has already shown that it can truly disrupt a market, having taken a huge market share from the traditional players in the Nordics. Not only by offering better, consumer focused services, but also by applying technology that enables precise delivery slots – at the point of purchase. Becoming part of Instabox will help us to complete our journey and achieve the same dominance here in the Netherlands, as well as expand into other territories.”
Red je Pakketje’s founders will stay with the new company, reinvesting parts of their proceeds into Instabox. The roll-out of lockers is set to start next month, and merchants will be able to start to ship to lockers during the summer.
