A. Gideon Kasfiner of First Luggage writes:
To begin with, you should see if your UK provider has an agent or contacts in Europe who could fulfil your requirements. In addition, find out the main service providers operating in Europe who offer the type of services you require. It would be a good idea to arrange to meet with your existing or potential customers to gain any feedback about their service levels and establish how they get their products delivered from their current suppliers.
Arrange to meet with the main service providers (both large and small) and discuss your specific requirements – such as any special packaging, fragile goods, etc – and get them to offer you the ideal service for your particular needs.
Following this you should be able to establish if they can meet your needs both operationally and financially.
To avoid having your own office in Europe – which would lead to additional overhead costs – it is imperative to set up excellent lines of communication with the supplier, preferably internet-based.
When choosing your supplier, take into account the strengths and weaknesses of their pan-European network, because they may well be strong in some areas, but weaker in others.
If your business will be distributing your product from one central location to businesses or home addresses based in different geographic areas of Europe, it is likely that you would achieve a better service using the best supplier in each geographic location.
If, however, the business involves third-party collections and deliveries, then it would be best to use a multinational company with a large network and appropriate infrastructure, which would give far better coverage.