InPost Group, a business that is increasing the cost efficiency, convenience and sustainability of last mile e-commerce in Europe, reports another quarter of above market growth in its key geographies. The Company grew total Q1 volumes by 68% YoY and 18% on a like-for-like markets basis (excluding Mondial Relay), off the very challenging Q1 2021 base impacted by Covid-19. Volumes in Poland were up by 16%, outperforming the estimated 15% growth for the market. In France, company volumes grew 8%, in sharp contrast to the market’s estimated 16% volume decline. Overall Mondial Relay market volumes rose 10% in the quarter. Reported Group revenues grew 94% and were up 19% on a like-for-like markets basis (excluding Mondial Relay). Adjusted EBITDA rose 23% on a reported basis, and was flat in like-for-like markets.
The company deployed 1,905 automated parcel machines (APMs) during the quarter, equating to nearly 30 APMs deployed every business day. This rising APM footprint improves consumer proximity and drives a flywheel of higher consumer convenience, satisfaction, and greater intensity of usage. In Poland, the company’s competitive moat has further strengthened as APM numbers reached 17,357, bringing 57% of the population within a 7-minute walk of an InPost machine. In France, the company is accelerating automation to enhance the standardisation, simplicity, and satisfaction of Mondial Relay’s existing out-of-home service. The number of APMs in France reached 651 at the end of Q1, more than double the figure at the end of 2021.
Growth outpaced the market in the UK, Poland and France.
“InPost had a good start to a challenging 2022, with continued market share gains in all our core markets. Sales growth in the first quarter reached a record 94%, bringing us to PLN 1.542 billion. In the UK, despite a drop in e-commerce volumes in the quarter by more than one-fifth, we increased volumes by 157% and even exceeded the high volumes we saw in the fourth quarter of 2021. In France, our strong position with C2C marketplaces led us to 8% volume growth compared with an estimated 16% drop for the entire market. In Poland we once again gained market share despite competitors’ rising locker deployments. Pressure on purchasing power strained ecommerce growth rates on most European markets in the first quarter, and while we expect this to continue throughout the year, we also believe we’ve found a formula to continue growing faster than our competitors even in this difficult market” said InPost CEO Rafał Brzoska.
After improving market share in Poland from 44% to 48% in 2021, the company grew volumes by a further 16% in Q1 vs an estimated 15% growth for the market.
• According to the latest report from the market research agency Kantar, 94% of Poles choose APMs as a delivery method, and the company’s net promoter store for receiving and sending parcels from APMs remains very high at 75. The growing interest in InPost’s services can be seen in the growing number of users of the mobile application. InPost added more than 400,000 app users during the quarter(equivalent to 1% of the Polish population). This brings the total InPost active app users in Poland above 9.6 million, while total APM users hit 15.3mn, more than one for every household in the country.
• In France, the company is accelerating automation to enhance the standardisation, simplicity and satisfaction of Mondial Relay’s out-of-home services. The APM number in France reached 651 at the end of Q1, more than double the figure at the end of 2021.
“Having 57% of Poles in close proximity to an APM site has clearly made a lasting improvement in the consumer experience in e-commerce in the country, particularly for the growing number of customers whose priorities include sustainability in delivery solutions,” Brzoska said, referring to figures showing InPost lockers can cut CO2 emissions by as much as 90% compared to door-to-door deliveries. “Our parcel locker solution uses substantially less energy and labour per package than door-to-door delivery. Our mission now is to build awareness and roll out that elevated convenience and sustainability proposition to consumers and merchants across our European markets.”
In addition to its contribution to sustainability through its services, InPost’s ESG efforts include aid to Ukrainians who have been affected by the war. That includes transporting about 6,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid, in cooperation with organizations including Caritas, the Polish Red Cross and clothing retailer LPP. The company is also adding Ukrainian-language versions of its services to better meet the needs of refugees who have arrived in Poland.
