When sending post in Germany, or to Germany, you might be wondering if Deutsche Post and DHL are the same company.
Often you will see Deutsche Post and DHL logos on post offices, letter boxes, and trucks in Germany, so it rightly is a little confusing.
The official name of Deutsche Post is ‘Deutsche Post DHL Group’ which may provide an answer to some of the questions you may have about the companies.
In 2002, Deutsche Post acquired DHL International to create an international shipping pioneer network with links in over 220 countries and territories.
In this article, we will explore in more depth the details of the two companies and how they came to be one group known as Deutsche Post DHL Group.
Deutsche Post is the successor to the previous German mail authority called Deutsche Bundespost.
Deutsche Post is known as the foundation of the modern postal system with a history dating back to 1490 when Franz von Taxis set up a courier network that would develop to cover all of Western Europe by the mid-16th century.
Today Deutsche Post is a multinational package delivery and supply chain company. It is one of the largest couriers in the world.
In terms of what the company does, it mainly handles mail and logistics such as freight and supply chain management.
Other than these main areas, Deutsche Post provides essential services for the German people with everything related to post such as postcode searches, sending international letters, and tracking shipments.
As one of the world’s top logistics companies, it’s no wonder that they offer their clients many standardised goods that are easy to use as well as providing innovative and personalised solutions to any mail sending problems.
Specialising in international shipping, courier services, and transportation DHL is one of the world’s leaders in logistics.
Founded in San Francisco, United States, in 1969 it expanded its services around the world until it was bankrupt in 1983.
Today, DHL has been absorbed into Deutsche Post, helping to deliver over 1.6 billion parcels per year.
There are many different branches of DHL today that provide a number of different services across the globe.
These include DHL Express, Supply Chain, eCommerce Solutions, Global Forwarding, and Freight.
For example, DHL Express is a premium service that enables customers to ship their items domestically and internationally, quickly.
DHL Paket is an easy and convenient way to make sure you always have the right packaging for your parcels.
Most of DHL’s business is done online which is quick and easy for customers.
Many of these customers like using DHL as they can track their shipments and help to ensure the successful delivery of their items.
There are options to purchase packaging materials and access services in stores and post offices across Germany.
The letters DHL are an acronym for Dalsey, Hillblom, and Lynn which are the surnames of the original founders of the company.
Yes and no, they are technically different companies but they are owned by the same parent company.
Both of their headquarters are in the city of Bonn, Germany.
The shipping giant DHL is a fully owned subsidiary of the Deutsche Post DHL Group. Deutsche Post is mainly government-controlled and is Europe’s largest postal business.
DHL is also the world’s biggest air express service outside the United States.
The combined group is responsible for delivering express mail, packages, and parcels, as well as other services in Germany alongside running the original DHL company on a global scale.
Across Germany, you will find separate branches of both corporate brands through which you can access the correct services.
Local post offices are typically a one-stop retail spot that allows you to access both Deutsche Post and DHL services.
DHL has around 400,00 employees worldwide as of 2021, whereas Deutsche Post has around 592,263 employees in 2021 which makes them one of the biggest private employers in the world.
Deutsche Post and DHL’s partnership began when the former started to buy shares in DHL in 1998.
As of 2002, the postal group was able to establish a majority interest in the shipping company of around 75% by the middle of the year.
After this point, the group began to rebrand to create a unified front with over 20,000 parcel delivery vans distributed across Germany with the new DHL logos.
By the end of 2002, Deutsche Post once again increased its shares in the international courier company to 100%.
Deutsche Post bought DHL in order to secure itself a permanent place in the international parcel business.
This plan worked, as they are the largest air express carrier outside of North America.
Throughout Germany and Europe, there are thousands of Deutsche Post outlets and DHL Paketshops.
Various pick-up and drop-off services are also available at kiosks and supermarkets which allows customers to ship and deliver parcels internationally with Deutsche Post whenever is convenient for them.
The Deutsche Post and DHL websites both contain all the vital information the sender needs in terms of how quickly their parcel will be delivered, where to access shipping labels and pick-up times.
Around 90% of all letters sent within Germany are delivered the following business day by Deutsche Post if they are placed in a letter box before the designated pick-up time.
Outside of the country, it may take up to 1-2 weeks for a letter to arrive unless you use their express delivery which will take 1 day for EU countries and 2-3 days for non-EU countries.
DHL parcels will be delivered within 1-2 business days of sending them within Germany.
When sending parcels internationally, these may take between 1-6 business days depending on where you’re sending them to.
If the destination country is within the EU this should take no longer than 2-3 days.
Overall, Deutsche Post and DHL are corporate brands of the mail and logistics giant Deutsche Post DHL Group.
Although they are technically not the same company, they are owned by one parent company.
These well-known and reputable brands work together to deliver letters and packages across Germany as well as internationally.
We hope you found this article interesting and informative, helping you better understand the differences and similarities between the names Deutsche Post and DHL.
The German governments still own a large share of Deutsche Post at around 50%, and KfW Bankengruppe holds approximately 254 million shares which corresponds to 20.5% of the share capital as of July 2022.
DHL Express shares the DHL brand with many other Deutsche Post business units.
These brands include DHL Global Forwarding, DHL Freight, DHL Supply Chain, and DHL Global Mail.
Hi, my name is Andy Demar and I have been working in the postal industry for almost 15 years. I have seen and heard about it all - big packages, small parcels, suspicious boxes, difficulties with getting them from A to B.
