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Driven by the rise of e-commerce, the logistics industry has witnessed a big boom in recent years, drawing the capital market's attention and driving industry development and accelerating industry integration.

To capitalize on the booming popularity of e-commerce, CN Logistics, a Hong Kong-headquartered logistics solution provider that primarily engages in international freight forwarding, warehousing and distribution services, has been expanding its operations through a chain of strategic moves devised around the concept of e-commerce.

Supported by its 22 global offices, together with a network of business partners and agents across the world, CN Logistics can provide its services to over 100 countries and regions worldwide. Its global footprint has further expanded following the acquisition of its subsidiaries in Italy and Switzerland.

The group focuses on high-value and high-standard business verticals and its core customer base includes high-end fashion brands (including luxury and affordable luxury) and boutique wine brands. Through its electronic management system, warehousing facilities, global footprint and services, CN Logistics has cooperated with various high-end global retail brands over the years.

The group has established a strong presence in the Chinese mainland over the decades, with commercial offices set up in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Guangdong province, Chengdu, Sichuan province, Beijing, Qingdao, Shandong province, Xiamen, Fujian province and Hainan province, respectively, including an automated distribution hub in Shanghai that serves regional customers.

Founded in 1991, CN Logistics has been in business for over 30 years and two of its key focuses are penetrating the B2C end consumer market and developing O2O (online-to-offline) logistics.

As early as 2021, CN Logistics established a partnership with online retail platform YesAsia to expand its B2C business and service capabilities further by combining YesAsia's e-commerce network covering the United Kingdom, Europe and America with the group's business network across Asia and Europe.

With an eye on the high-growth points of e-commerce logistics and the emerging consumer markets in Asia, particularly the Chinese mainland market, the group launched two self-developed e-commerce platforms - the cross-border wine e-marketplace "PJF Wines" and the one-stop international logistics solution provider "CNShip4Shop" in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

The former platform aims to promote and distribute imported wines to its target customer base in first and second-tier cities in Chinese mainland, such as Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, while the latter platform has expanded the group's e-fulfillment service capabilities in 7 countries across Europe and the United States and 12 regions in Asia, as well as has established a business network with overseas brands.

In May of this year, CNShip4Shop introduced a feature called "CNBuy", which focuses on sourcing products from overseas brands in segments such as fashion & apparel, mother & baby, skincare & cosmetics, and athleisure. This move aims to meet the increasing demand of the new generation and middle class for an enhanced quality of life while diversifying the platform's revenue source. The platform targets to introduce over 100 overseas niche brands.

Furthermore, the platform also partnered with Shopline, the service provider of a global smart merchant platform, to offer sourcing and import services to more than 500,000 of its business users, leveraging the group's overseas network and supply chain capabilities and jointly create a cross-border e-commerce channel for driving the growth of Asian retail market and establishing an ecosystem for online businesses. This partnership aims to expand into the offline realm to engage more small and medium enterprises, providing them with more insights and solutions into the ever-evolving consumer market.

Through diversified cooperation and investment projects, the group taps into the B2C market and has integrated B2C services capabilities globally, ranging from O2O logistics, cross-border custom clearance, brand sourcing and procurement, to marketing and sales operations.

Leveraging the relationship with airlines and carriers, the group provides its customers with freight forwarding services. Besides, the group has invested in technology and developed its electronic management systems, including order management systems, warehouse management systems and transportation management systems. These systems can enable the group to provide its customers with one-stop logistics services, allowing them to visualize and update inventory status in real-time and manage the shipments with sales point systems integrated.

The group recently announced its decision to launch its e-commerce airfreight export service in the second half of 2023, aiming to enable e-commerce platforms in China to promote, distribute and deliver their products to consumers overseas with end-to-end logistics solutions.

hanjingyan@chinadaily.com.cn