After several years of stagnation, exports of goods by French SMEs and ETIs are growing strongly (+18.5% in one year)[1]. Chronopost, an expert in international transport since its inception, has seen its turnover from international flows increase by 50% in five years. It is expected to reach €345 million by 2023, representing 20% of its total sales.

International operations (export, import, customs clearance) involve a total of 700 dedicated employees. Chronopost handles 40 million customs clearance declarations a year on its own behalf and on behalf of other branches within Le Groupe La Poste. Chronopost's international operations also include the management of flows to and from the French overseas departments, which have similar characteristics. With six sites in French Guiana, Reunion Island, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Mayotte and Saint Martin and almost 150 employees, the French overseas departments account for 34% of Chronopost's international export business. As in metropolitan France, Chronopost is the leader in express delivery in the French overseas departments.

„Exporting is a powerful growth lever for SMEs, which find new outlets in territories where they are not present. With almost 20,000 local outlets, including post offices, for parcel deliveries, an on-demand collection service and services tailored to their needs, we are delighted to be helping more and more of them to cross borders",

said Benoît Frette, Chairman of Chronopost.

Day-definite delivery times to Europe

As part of its Chrono Classic service, Chronopost is now offering its shipping customers a feature that allows them to assess delivery times from one postcode to another in 30 European countries [2], down to the day. Entitled "Day Definite", this feature will be gradually rolled out in 2023 to all the carriers in the Geopost network, Chronopost's parent company. As a result, from spring 2024, French shippers using Chronopost will be able to provide their own customers with precise information about their delivery date in Europe. This is a real advantage for e-tailers, but also for B2B companies.

A new service for international customers

For almost 40 years, Chronopost has been helping companies on the international stage with its historic express service to 230 countries and territories (Chrono Express). Express delivery remains particularly popular internationally, as it enables e-tailers to sell more and BtoB professionals to reduce their own lead times with their customers (e.g. for equipment repairs) and therefore invoice more quickly.

To complete its range of services and meet the needs of SMEs wishing to expand internationally with fewer constraints on delivery times, a new fast and more economical offering (Chrono Air Classic) is being rolled out for the United States from the spring and for the Middle East by the end of the year. It retains a premium positioning thanks to support and expertise to facilitate customs formalities (Chronopost facilitates export and import declarations with specific software and hosting of French Customs at its international hub at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle), and an optional subscription for delivery to the addressee with compulsory signature for the United States.

Out-of-home delivery, a growth factor for international flows

French export customers, particularly e-tailers and second-hand platforms, are increasingly looking for out-of-home solutions. While home deliveries still account for the majority of exports handled by Chronopost (70% of international flows), out-of-home deliveries will increase by 128% in volume between 2022 and 2023.

This growth is made possible by the powerful network of retail outlets and cross-border Pickup depots, which will reach [3] 100,000 retail outlets in Europe.

[1] Source: Export report on French SMEs and ETIs for Team France Export.

[2) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Bosnia, Serbia, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.

[3] 100,000 Pickup points in Europe, including 9,400 in Scandinavia thanks to Geopost's partnership with PostNord.

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About Chronopost

Chronopost is the leading national player in the express delivery of parcels weighing up to 30 kg to businesses and individuals. With a team of 5,000 employees, Chronopost delivered more than 250 million parcels in 2023. Chronopost serves 230 countries and territories worldwide and has privileged access to Geopost's global network of Pickup points.

Through innovative technologies, local expertise, dedicated customer service and a network of 19,500 outlets in France (Chronopost branches, post offices and Pickup Points), Chronopost provides an excellent customer experience for both senders and recipients. Chronopost ensures low-emission delivery in Paris and around sixty cities in France.

Chronopost is a member of Geopost, the international parcel delivery network. Geopost, the holding company of Le Groupe La Poste, recorded revenues of €15.7 billion in 2023 for 2.1 billion parcels delivered worldwide.