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~ PostNL ~

MEET SPRING GDS:

POSTNL’S

CROSS-BORDER

E-COMMERCE

DIVISION

Text: Lola Michels // Photos: PostNL, Spring GDS

Spring GDS is a global delivery solutions provider founded in 2001 by PostNL, Singapore
Post and Royal Mail – some of the world’s biggest post and parcel companies. Since 2013,
Spring GDS has been fully owned by the PostNL Group.

njoying the safety of a strong founding father A Spring GDS success story
as well as the freedom of being an autonomous In recent months, PostNL’s cross-border e-commerce
Ebroker, Spring GDS has proven to be able to adapt division has reported a renewed and sustained surge in
to changes in the realm of cross-border e-commerce shipments from the United Kingdom to consumers across
quickly and efficiently. Having access to a network of the European Union. The catalyst? A new end-to-end
some of the most reliable mail and distribution carriers in shipping solution that has helped UK-based businesses to
the world while enjoying the freedom to develop solutions overcome the challenges raised by Brexit and the recent EU
autonomously, Spring GDS offers the benefits of an VAT changes.
established corporation and the agility of a commercial
broker combined. What has changed for UK businesses this year?
This year, UK-based businesses have had to adapt more than
With 16 offices around the globe, Spring GDS connects 3 once to new rules and regulations caused by the changing
continents and covers 190 countries. The PostNL subsidiary trade relations with the European Union. This has come
specialises in cross-border e-commerce shipping, providing with a number of operational challenges, including:
innovative solutions to webshops worldwide. Their local • More complex customs clearance. Since the United
knowledge and global presence allow Spring GDS to Kingdom officially left the EU Customs Union and
‘think globally, act locally’. This is what makes them stand the European Single Market on the 31st of December
out from local carriers in many destinations. Businesses / 2020, goods shipped from the UK to customers in the
webshops in Belgium and the Netherlands can use PostNL EU have been subject to customs controls. This has
for international shipping solutions. meant more paperwork for UK businesses, who have
had to provide a customs declarations form for each
In this edition of Cross-Border Magazine, we zoom in on exported package with a detailed description of its
the Spring GDS shipping solution in order to introduce this contents.
specialist cross-border logistics provider. • Different requirements for VAT management. On the 1st
of July 2021, the European Union changed its VAT

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