Mike Antwoon, Sales Director, and James Hosier, International Client Director discuss our International Inbound service
Last year, China was the main import partner of the UK, and was responsible for more than 13% of all imported UK goods. Armed with this insight and focused on exploring new ways in which Yodel can continue to grow, Mike Antwoon, Sales Director and James Hosier, International Client Director, discuss how they are utilising our network, resource, and close relationships with non-domestic partners to enhance our international offering to support this growing market.
Mike Antwoon, who oversees the sales operation at Yodel, says: “Having joined Yodel a few years ago, it was immediately clear that there were untapped opportunities to build our international inbound service into a best-in-class, providing international retailers a great experience for their UK shoppers. Whilst we had strong foundations in place, the introduction of a dedicated China office and a new strategic approach was required.
Using the international sales teams’ collective and vast experience in dealing with parcels originating outside the UK, our excellent relationships with overseas contacts and our ability to collect regularly from domestic clearance houses, clients are now beginning see the benefits of partnering with Yodel.
Our A-scan technology, which we’re particularly proud of, allows us to process parcels within 24 hours of them arriving to the UK, significantly reducing the time at which they reach their final-mile destination. This is a huge advantage to our client base and has been instrumental in supporting their UK growth.”
There is no shortage of opportunity outside of the UK and China either, with James Hosier, who manages the Yodel international team, commenting: “All non-UK locations are being explored and we’re currently in negotiations with a number of global clients to be their preferred UK carrier. I recently visited the World Mail & Express conference in Miami, and it was a real eye opener into the potential of developing new markets. There is competition, but with our current proposition we’re an extremely attractive carrier choice, given our premium delivery options, international parcel handling experience and efficient collection procedures at the likes of Heathrow Airport.
We’ve got a fantastic team around us here in the UK and we’re excited for the future, we feel that we’re only at the tip of the iceberg in terms of our international success.”