Hanjin said on the 14th it will fully ramp up operations at its Southampton, U.K., fulfillment center, which began running in April. The move aims to respond to rising local inventory and shipments ahead of the year-end global shopping peak.
The U.K. fulfillment center was built in Southampton, Hampshire, with a capacity of up to about 10,000 pyeong. Following the opening of the Netherlands European fulfillment center in December last year, the company has also established a local logistics hub in the U.K. Hanjin said shipments have been increasing from the start of operations on the back of local demand for K-beauty.
Local inventory buildup is also increasing ahead of the year-end peak. The company said more customers have been seeking to secure stock starting in September in preparation for year-end promotions on global platforms such as Amazon and TikTok, Black Friday, and Boxing Day in the U.K.
A Hanjin official said, "During key peak periods, including Boxing Day, sales volumes are expected to rise by as much as two to three times."
Exports of Korean cosmetics within Europe are also rising. According to the Korea Customs Service, cosmetics exports to 58 European countries in the first half of this year totaled $1,596,230,000 (about 2.311 trillion won). For the first time on a half-year basis, the figure surpassed exports to North America. Compared with two years ago, the export scale roughly doubled.
Based on its fulfillment centers in the Netherlands and the U.K., Hanjin provides local inventory storage and business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) fulfillment services in Europe. The company said that, beyond K-beauty, monthly logistics inquiries are also increasing from manufacturing corporations pushing into Europe in health foods, chemicals, and electronics.
Hanjin offers end-to-end services from forwarding products from domestic and overseas production bases to Europe, through local customs clearance, support for value-added taxes and tax filings, platform-specific packaging and labeling, and last-mile delivery across Europe. It also plans to strengthen connectivity between the Netherlands and U.K. hubs.
A Hanjin official said, "Based on the network and integrated logistics capabilities of a global comprehensive logistics corporation, we preemptively built a local, tailored one-stop solution," adding, "By quickly securing local hubs and establishing a flexible logistics system, we will cement our position as the optimal logistics partner leading the successful entry of domestic corporations into Europe."