Parcel deliveries and urban logistics: Changes and challenges in the courier express and parcel sector in Europe - The French case

The European Courier, Express and Parcel sector, a strategic and dynamic sector involved in globalization, has undergone significant changes during the past fifteen years. CEP players are "co-evolving" (evolving together), the sector is consolidating itself, strategy and logistics organizations are converging and a new segment dedicated to urban parcel deliveries has emerged. Thanks to a literature review, interviews of the players of the French CEP sector and urban parcel delivery sector, as well as comparisons with other European countries, this article analyzes the sector's changes, its drivers, and provides an accurate picture, based on examples and figures, of an under-studied sector. The article also highlights some future prospects for the new segment such as the segment's consolidation and the rise of cross-border e-commerce. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.