Europe (English)

FedEx Express Helps Customers Gear up for the Busy Holiday Season

Paris, Dec. 4, 2009— Workers at FedEx Express, the world’s largest express transportation company and a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), are gearing up for the busiest week of the year, expected to kick off on 14 December. FedEx Express predicts an 18% increase in the volume of packages that move through the EMEA network on its busiest day of the year, 16 December, compared to 2008 figures.


As always, FedEx Express is ready to help its valued customers deliver their goods in time for the holidays. For last-minute customers, the final day to ship with FedEx Express is 23 December for deliveries to Europe and the U.S., and 22 December for deliveries to Asia for delivery scheduled before Christmas.


As a truly global company, we understand the unique needs of our customers and the trust they place in FedEx Express,” said Alain Chaillé Vice President, Operations FedEx Express Southern Europe. “With a broad array of services for almost every shipping need and price range, FedEx Express is well-prepared to provide our customers with excellent service during the holidays and beyond.


In addition to the usual seasonal spending in stores, consumers are helping to fuel a rise in online sales this holiday, contributing to the surge in the number of packages which move through the FedEx network at this time of year. With consumers spending more time online, e-commerce will likely drive more holiday activity this season than in the past.


Research from online retailer eBay revealed that 85% of consumers across Europe intend to spend as much as they did last year or increase their online spending this year, with four out of ten consumers shopping more online now than in 2008—in part because of a challenging economy preventing pre-holiday upturns in retail stores.


Additional research carried out by the French Federation of E-commerce (Fevad) who revealed that 70% of Internet users are expected to buy their Christmas presents online between mid-November and mid-December this year.


There’s a dynamic happening, as the tough economic environment sees e-commerce fast outpacing more traditional means of retailing,” Alain Chaillé, Vice President, Operations FedEx Express Southern Europe commented. “In many ways, we see this trend as the growth opportunity for years to come.