M&S Expands Zalando Partnership to Speed Up Europe Deliveries
Zalando announced in its Q3 results that it has formed a new logistics agreement with the UK retailer M&S. The expanded partnership will allow M&S to use Zalando’s B2B logistics platform, ZEOS, to handle its entire online direct-to-consumer business across continental Europe starting early next year.
Background of the Collaboration
Since 2022, M&S had a limited collaboration with Zalando, fulfilling orders through three marketplace partners in Europe: Zalando, About You, and Amazon. The new deal significantly broadens this cooperation by integrating Zalando’s ZEOS platform fully into M&S’s European operations.
Strategic Importance of Zalando for British Retailers
Alongside M&S, Zalando has a similar logistics partnership with the UK retailer Next, highlighting the value British companies see in Zalando's logistics expertise for accessing mainland European markets.
Reasons for Deepening the Partnership
- Rapid online growth: M&S has reported a 131% increase in sales via Zalando compared to last year.
- ZEOS will serve 21 European markets, offering extensive reach.
- Advantages include inventory efficiency through a unified stock pool and a sophisticated order management system.
“ZEOS creates one single stock pool as well as an advanced order management system for Fashion, Home & Beauty products,” said M&S in their announcement.
Summary
This enhanced logistics deal aims to reduce M&S delivery times across Europe by three days, reflecting strong digital sales growth and Zalando’s trusted role in multi-market fulfillment.
Author’s summary: M&S has expanded its logistics cooperation with Zalando to improve delivery speeds across 21 European markets, capitalizing on rising online sales and Zalando's efficient inventory management system.