DHL Global Forwarding, the leading international provider of air, sea and road freight services, partners Decathlon, the French sporting goods giant to provide comprehensive services for its international supply chain operation. At the DHL Fashion and Retail Conference held in Ho Chi Minh, both companies shared what it takes to successfully operate a multi-national supply chain, enabling Decathlon stores to stock over 22,400 items covering more than 85 different types of sports.
Marc Meier, SVP, Global Head of International Supply Chain, DHL Global Forwarding said, “DHL Global Forwarding runs a dedicated DHL control tower which provides a single point of contact in Vietnam and Taiwan for Decathlon’s operations. Providing full visibility for Decathlon’s logistics teams, our control tower services oversee Decathlon’s air, sea and road shipments from factories in Vietnam and Taiwan to the world, including Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Europe, India, Malaysia, Morocco and Singapore.”
Global businesses that source from multiple locations and ship to numerous destinations face a particularly complex supply chain that demands greater visibility and control to optimize operations and reduce costs. With more than 1,000 supply chain experts across 82 offices in 46 countries worldwide, DHL’s International Supply Chain services offer comprehensive solution design and project management backed by a global governance structure that guarantees consistency across operations.
“Decathlon prioritizes the quality of our products and the entire customer experience to ensure we secure our positioning as the go-to retailer of affordable sports apparel, accessories, and equipment. While we ramp up on our offline and online presence for the convenience of our customers, we are working hard behind-the-scenes to make sure that our manufacturing and logistics processes can efficiently cater to the demand of our discerning customers,” said Thao Nguyen, Head of Procurement and Logistics, Decathlon Vietnam.
In Vietnam, Decathlon launched two retail stores in Hanoi and Ho Chi Min City in 2019, spanning 4,300sqm and 2,600sqm respectively, and introduced 70 sports brands. The company collaborates with six business partners across Vietnam to keep prices and lead time competitive for the local market and to reduce carbon footprint. As a full-fledged logistics partner, DHL Global Forwarding also provides road freight solutions for the brand to transport goods from Vietnam to Cambodia.
Vietnam’s attractiveness as a manufacturing hub for the world lies in its geostrategic location, youthful demographics, and abundance of affordable land and labor. Coupled with easy access to multiple markets via free trade agreements, the country’s textile and retail industry is primed for growth as Vietnamese spending power increases and more international brands seek to establish their presence here.
“Today’s retailers require agile and innovative supply chains to cater to a new generation of customers who demand instant gratification and tap opportunities in emerging markets. With our extensive range of logistics services and expertise in the retail sector, DHL Global Forwarding is well-positioned to support the growth of businesses here,” said Archer Fu, VP, Head of Business Development, DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific
50 Years DHL
In 2019 DHL is celebrating 50 years since the company’s founding by three entrepreneurs in San Francisco in 1969. DHL began as a disruptor to the traditional delivery industry, circumventing bureaucracy with innovative new service to deliver documents by air overnight. Since then, DHL has grown into a globe-spanning family of DHL companies with about 380,000 employees in over 220 countries and territories that cover the entire spectrum of logistics and supply chain services. DHL’s customer-centricity and can-do culture have fueled five decades of innovation — from the DHL 1000, one of the first word processing computers in the world, to using the purpose-built StreetScooter, an environmentally friendly delivery vehicle powered by an electric drive and developed by Deutsche Post DHL Group. With the Mission 2050 commitment to reach zero group-wide emissions by 2050, DHL is continuing to be a trailblazer in the logistics industry.