ECommerce drives DHL to new home
THE booming embrace of eCommerce on the Gold Coast has prompted one of the world’s biggest courier companies to open its second-largest centre in Queensland in Molendinar.
DHL Express Australia will today officially open the 3000sq m Gold Coast Service Centre on Anisar Court after a $3.6 million investment.
The facility was built after DHL struck a design-andconstruct deal with local developer Buckler Property Group, which owns the 6.75ha parcel where the centre is situated.
DHL Express Oceania CEO Gary Edstein said the centre was five times bigger than its old Coast facility, which he said the company had far outgrown.
“We started operating … with four or five couriers, and now, on a peak day, we have 20-odd couriers,” he said. “At the old facility, we had to virtually sort out the freight in the carpark, which was unacceptable.”
Mr Edstein said the growth was being fuelled by eCommerce.
“It is online retail and it is cross-border,” he said.
“It is nearly 100 per cent international. What we are seeing is a lot of small-to-medium size enterprises starting up on the Gold Coast and they are promoting their products through eCommerce and distributing their products to the world.”
He said Molendinar was chosen because of its access to the M1 Motorway.
He said the freight was either sent up the motorway to be flown overseas from Brisbane Airport, or down to Sydney to be carried on its freighter over to New Zealand.
He said the top export markets for Gold Coast DHL customers were the US, followed by New Zealand, the UK and Canada.
Mr Edstein said the company had built the facility with one eye firmly on the future.
“This particular facility we have future-proofed for growth so for the next 10 years we can expand up to another 10 to 15 couriers.
“With this new service centre, Gold Coast small businesses can now provide consumers around the globe with faster access to their products.”
The DHL centre fronts Ashmore Rd, Harper St, and is accessed via Anisar Court.
The new centre will also be fitted with parcel lockers that will be accessible 24/7 by customers.
Mr Edstein said these would be available to customers in the coming months.