Intelligent SME.tech Issue 18 | Page 37

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Helping brands to grasp the West-to-East e-commerce trading opportunity

As more and more brands in Europe look to the South Asia markets for growth opportunities , Asendia is aiding clients through its West-to-East initiative . Olivier Linchet , CEO South Asia Asendia , tells us more about the initiative , how he ’ s overseeing the growth of the business , key growth markets and goals for the next 12 months . t

Tell us a bit more about your organisation and the clients and markets served ?
Launched in 2012 by La Poste and Swiss Post , Asendia operates across the world , providing e-commerce solutions for businesses selling internationally . We bring together a wealth of international and local expertise , and an agile network that delivers to more than 200 countries and territories . Employing over 1,500 people , we have operations in North America , Europe , Asia and Oceania and final-mile delivery partners across the globe .
While Asendia ’ s origins are in the mail business , today we are also at the forefront of the burgeoning e-commerce industry with our range of parcel solutions , e-PAQ . We deliver millions of items globally for retailers and brands each month , particularly in the fashion , homewares and health and beauty sectors .
We provide several value-added services , including returns , fulfilment and lettershop , and we have acquired several companies to enhance our digital services , including ESW ( formerly eshopworld ) which is an e-commerce software business , and invested in Anchanto , a B2B SaaS company for warehouse management , omni-channel retail management .
How has the business grown since it started and how have you ensured growth ?
In recent years we have taken big steps to achieve growth through acquisitions and strategic partnerships , as well as organic growth . Asia Pacific is a priority growth market . Global e-commerce players and big brands are looking for routes into South Asia and the wider APAC region and seeking logistics partners who can bring their expansion strategies to life . Key growth markets include Australia , Singapore , Vietnam , South Korea , Malaysia , India and Thailand .
Since 2018 we have been investing in facilities in Singapore to provide e-tailers with a gateway to the region . It can be especially attractive to brands manufacturing products in this part of the world .
Also , we are leveraging our investment in our partner company Anchanto , so that brands can easily launch on regional digital marketplaces and trade through their own websites .

WE ENSURE GROWTH TAKES OFF BY SOLVING MAJOR LOGISTICAL AND OPERATIONAL PROBLEMS FOR OUR RETAIL CLIENTS .
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