The company has kicked off its Ship Site programme with an alliance with printing chain Printo.

It will see FedEx shipping services offered through 12 high street Printo stores in the retailer’s home city of Bangalore, southern India.

Rakesh Shalia, FedEx Express managing director for marketing in the Middle East, India and Africa, said the partnership with Printo was “an ideal fit” for his company because of the large number of small business customers the print retail company has.

He said the partnership approach was about FedEx getting closer to its customers, and with Printo it will mean customers can copy, print and ship from the same location.

“With the launch of our Ship Site program in India we are even better placed to satisfy the growing needs of our retail customers. We aim to provide more convenience and accessibility while delivering the same high-quality service, reliability and unparalleled transportation expertise that FedEx is known for,” said Shalia.

FedEx said India’s retail sector is worth $350bn USD, but has a “low organised retail penetration”, although the sector is rapidly developing.

Manish Sharma, the CEO of Printo, said the two companies complement each other, and that teaming up meant extra convenience for customers.

“With this alliance, we aim to provide additional convenience to our customers in their local neighbourhood, empowering them to reach out to 880 locations within India and 220 countries worldwide,” he said.

FedEx currently has its eye on emerging markets like India, where it sees stronger growth potential than in the US and Europe as local populations become more consumer-based.

The company acquired Indian logistics businesses AFL Pvt. Ltd and affiliate Unifreight India Pvt Ltd for $96m in 2011 to strengthen its presence within the subcontinent.

Source: Post&Parcel/FedEx Express

Tags: FedEx Express, India