Scott Jenyns, CEO of Fastway Couriers NZ Ltd. Picture / Warren Buckland
Scott Jenyns, CEO of Fastway Couriers NZ Ltd. Picture / Warren Buckland
More than three decades after starting off with one van in Napier, Fastway Couriers is a global name but as the company celebrates its 35th anniversary this week, it remains solidly Hawke's Bay-based.
The company, which was established in Hawke's Bay in 1983, celebrated the milestone at its annual conferencein Nelson where Fastway Couriers chief executive Scott Jenyns said the businesses has come a long way from "one man in a van" to a global franchise.
It now has 63 regional depots and 1700 franchisees in New Zealand, Australia, Ireland and South Africa, 2,200 Parcel Connect agents and handles over 40 million deliveries annually.
In New Zealand there are 17 regional franchisees and more than 250 courier franchisees delivering from "Cape to Bluff".
"The rise of online shopping over the past five years has completely transformed our industry from 80 per cent of deliveries being larger packages delivered between two businesses to 80 percent of parcels now being smaller than 3kg on average and delivered to residential properties.
"Over this time parcel movements have risen year on year by 10 per cent with the majority of parcels now being delivered as a part of an online transaction between a buyer and seller."
Much of the success of the business can be attributed to the franchise model that founding owner Bill McGowan initiated in 1984, after one year in business.
Speaking to Hawke's Bay Today, Jenyns said that decision allowed for further expansion - which resulted in the company's sale to Singapore-based international courier and logistics company Aramex.
"The catalyst to the company's expansion back then and to this day was and is through the franchising model. This allowed the company to scale and open in local and international markets."
The association with Aramax had not changed the company's Hawke's Bay outlook.
WAY BACK WHEN: Fastway Couriers founder Bill McGowan. Picture / SUPPLIED
"The company continues to operate our head office from the Hawke's Bay and we have no plans of changing this. Why would we, when we have access to an ever-growing talent pool of people and the technology we have access to today connects us with the world at the click of a button?
"The company continues to experience strong growth domestically and we will continue to invest in our franchise model, that allows local business people to invest in their local communities.
"This remains a strong, unique point of difference for our company versus that of our competitors and franchising is entrenched in the company's DNA."
Jenyns says little has changed to the franchise model since the sale to Aramex in 2016 but it had opened up parcel delivery to and from their international markets that they operate in.
"We have been able to launch an international service on the back of that acquisition which we were not able to do cost effectively prior to the acquisitions.
"We also get access to their technology, which is immensely important as technology continues to drive changes in the way we do business.
"They are also very supportive of investing in start-up businesses, so with any new investment in a start-up business we get access to that information and make an assessment whether that is applicable to the New Zealand market."
Aramex, which operates in over 70 countries, purchased Fastway Couriers in January 2016, providing the business and its franchisees with access to world-leading research, resources and expertise.
