GLS announced that it has acquired Spanish parcels company, ASM Transport Urgente for €71m. ASM, otherwise known as Agencia Services Mensajeria, was founded in 1987. ASM has over 360 agencies in Spain and a network of 16 hubs.

ASM posted revenues of around €78m in 2015, compared to €64.6m in 2014. In 2013, it stood at €52.9m. The acquisition gives GLS access to a large domestic express parcels network in Spain, with more than 1,500 daily distribution routes.

In terms of parcels revenues, ASM is ranked behind competitors DHL Express, Seur Geopost, UPS Espana, Nacex, TIPSA, TNT, Correos, MRW, Halcourier and FedEx Spain. The market leader, DHL Express has approximate revenues of around €650m.

The Spanish parcels market has seen a number of structural changes in recent years, including acquisitions, liquidations and foreign companies entering the market. For example, Transportes Ochoa and Buytrago both ceased trading. DHL acquired Guipuzcoana, La Poste acquired SEUR and GLS acquired Extand Sistema.

Compared with other markets, the Spanish parcels market is less consolidated, with a number of parcel delivery companies and franchise networks operating in the country.

Rico Back, Chief Executive Officer, GLS, said: “ASM is a great strategic fit for GLS. It gives GLS Spain a significantly increased footprint in both size and scale. The combination of ASM and GLS Spain means customers can benefit from a high-quality, express parcels service within Spain and also in the growing cross-border market. I am excited to see us combine our strengths and pursue our aim of best-in-class customer service”.

Apex Insight analysed the Spanish parcels market as part of its best-selling European Parcels Market Insight Report 2016, published in June 2016.