Appoints Henning Berndt to grow business in Central Europe

London, UK, 24 June 2014 -The MetaPack Group, the leading provider of eCommerce technology for delivery services, today set out the latest stage in its European growth strategy. Plans are built around its entry into the French market and capitalising on its presence in Germany and the appointment of Henning Berndt to the role Managing Director, Central Europe. The move supports MetaPack's strategic expansion on the continent and follows the acquisition of the German shipping fulfilment specialist, XLogics, last year. 

MetaPack works with over 80 per cent of the top online UK retailers to help them provide the best delivery experience for shoppers. Backed by Index Ventures, MetaPack has experienced at least 50 per cent annual growth for five consecutive years and continues to expand its presence in Europe and the rest of the world.

Entering the French market for the first time, MetaPack's operations in the region will be led by new country manager Philippe Bailly. Having held senior level positions at Swiss Post, Royal Mail and DHL for the last 10 years, Philippe will leverage the company's strong network of European carriers to establish MetaPack's presence in the region.

The new operations will utilise MetaPack's successful business model in the UK to provide better eCommerce delivery choices for European retailers and their customers. 

In Germany, MetaPack plans to expand its presence by catering to the growing need for eCommerce technology in the region, whilst building on the strong XLogics foundation in the B2B and B2C arena. The country's online sales market reached almost €40 billion in 2013 and is set to surpass €100 billion by 2020. This will lay the foundations for building stronger relationships with online retailers in DACH and Central Europe, a strategic goal that will be supported by the recent appointment of Henning Berndt to the role of Managing Director, Central Europe.

Henning will be responsible for building MetaPack's customer base in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Poland and will help the management team lay the foundations for future expansion beyond Europe.

Henning Berndt served as a CEO of XLogics Group and Managing Director of XLogics GmbH for 11 years before the company was acquired by MetaPack. Prior to that, he spent twelve years at Deutsche Post AG.

Patrick Wall, CEO of MetaPack said: "We are really delighted to welcome Henning to this senior position and are confident that his great leadership skills, business relationships and industry knowledge will help us further build our business in Europe."

"We have a strong track record in winning new customers, having established ourselves as a market leader in the UK, and we believe that we will be able to replicate this success in continental Europe," he added.

"I'm thrilled with having the opportunity to drive MetaPack's growth in Europe," said Henning Berndt, Managing Director, Central Europe at MetaPack.

"The eCommerce market is changing rapidly. It is a very exciting time to be on the forefront of these changes and to be here to help European retailers improve customer experience and deliver more competitive delivery services to their customers," he concluded.