BONN (dpa-AFX) - When sending or collecting their parcels, German consumers will in future be able to make greater use of vending machines that are available around the clock. As DHL already has more than 13,000 Packstations and intends to increase this number to 15,000 in the future, a newly founded DHL subsidiary will provide additional services. The Bonn-based logistics company announced the founding of the subsidiary on Monday. The new machines, of which only prototypes exist so far, are called OneStopBox. The plan is to install 100 of them this year, 2000 next year and several thousand in each of the following years.

In contrast to Packstations, where only DHL delivers parcels, OneStopBox will be open to all providers, meaning that it can also be used by competitors of the market leader. This should make it easier for consumers: They can pick up parcels from different parcel service providers at one location instead of having to drive to different locations. Retailers will also be able to store their goods in the OneStopBox metal compartments so that customers can pick them up after closing time.

In the parcel industry, this is referred to as "white label" machines, which look inconspicuous and do not have a company's brand color. The OneStopBoxes, of which there are only prototypes so far, are white. The concept is not new: the Austrian company myflexbox has been operating parcel machines in Germany since the end of 2022, and there are now almost 200 of them. By the end of the year, there should be up to 700./DP/zb