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CitySprint

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
CitySprint
Company typeLimited
IndustryCourier and Logistics
Founded1999
FounderIan Lewis
Andrew Bernard
Headquarters,
United Kingdom
Area served
United Kingdom, Worldwide
ServicesSame day courier
UK overnight courier
International delivery
Logistics
ParentDPD Group
Websitewww.citysprint.co.uk

CitySprint is a courier and logistics company based in the UK.[1][2][3][4] The company operates the brands On the dot, CitySprint Health, CitySprint Office, Transworld and CityBags.[5][6]

History

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CitySprint was launched as a brand in 1999 as part of DMS Corporation. It was incorporated in the UK in 2000 ahead of an MBO in 2001 led by Andrew Bernard to form a same day courier company.[7][8]

In 2003, they launched their own operating platform, CityTrak, to manage job booking, scheduling and courier tracking. In 2009, CitySprint introduced a real-time GPS tracking system to allow customers to track their deliveries whilst the courier is en route, an industry first at the time. In the same year, CitySprint used the MetaPack delivery management software to enable ASOS.com to offer a same day delivery service to those living within the M25 and surrounding areas as well a 50-mile radius of their warehouse in Hemel Hempstead.[9][10][11]

In 2015, The Daily Telegraph said that with 2,000 self-employed couriers, CitySprint is the "market leader of same-day delivery services" in the UK.[12]

In 2017, CitySprint unsuccessfully fought a tribunal case relating to a single courier, which found that the individual in question was a worker, rather than self-employed.[13] After losing the case, it chose to apply the ruling to that courier only and require couriers to sign new contracts instead of pay couriers minimum wage and vacation pay, causing the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain general secretary to call the act a "mockery of our system of employment rights and protections".[14]

In 2017, CitySprint sponsored British racing driver Ashley Sutton during his second year in the British Touring Car Championship. In 2018, it became the first courier company to use a hydrogen van for deliveries.[15]

Death of Jerome Rogers

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Jerome Rogers died by suicide aged twenty having accrued debts of over £1,000 stemming from two unpaid £65 traffic fines, issued by The London Borough of Camden. The fine was for driving over a bus lane. The debt was executed by Andrew Maughan (The London Borough of Camden), and Mike Marrs of Marston Holdings. [16] The fines stemmed from the bike he was required to use in order to work as a freelance courier for CitySprint. While not technically employed by CitySprint "The [courier] agrees that he is a self-employed contractor and is neither an employee nor a worker"[17] as a freelance courier he was required to pay CitySprint fees in order to hire uniform and communication devices from them.[16] He was also responsible for all of his expenses, including the cost of his bike, his petrol, and any traffic fines he might get while out on a courier job.[16]

Rogers' story was told through a 2018 BBC Three drama Killed by My Debt.[18]

Operations

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They operate as a logistics services provider that offers freight, AOG and multi-drop.[19] The company has brands to manage specific delivery requirements including CitySprint Health (healthcare),[20] CitySprint Office (print, post and fulfilment),[21] Transworld (UK overnight and international)[22] and CityBags (luggage repatriation).[23]

As of 2019, the company has a wholly owned network of 35 service centres and over 5,000 [24] self-employed couriers.[16]

Acquisitions

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The company has made significant acquisitions from 2010 to expand the company in the UK.[25][26] In 2017, the company acquired the Express Couriers, Grasshopper Couriers and Transworld Couriers. CitySprint has acquired the Peps Couriers, ASAP International, Courier Co-operative and Excel Couriers in 2016.[27][28]

References

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  1. ^ Quinn, James (2013-07-21). "Dunedin bucks investment trend with new £300m fund". ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  2. ^ Butler, Sarah (2018-09-26). "Uber and CitySprint among gig economy firms to face parliament". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  3. ^ "Same day courier service delivers nears three-fold return for Dunedin". HeraldScotland. 20 February 2016. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  4. ^ Long, Jessica (24 March 2016). "Over 2,000 Easter eggs donated to Norwich courier service after burglary". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  5. ^ "CitySprint Healthcare | Business & Industry Today". Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  6. ^ "Taxpayer-Backed LDC Races Off With CitySprint". Sky News. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  7. ^ "UK courier firm CitySprint rebrands with "We deliver" tagline". Post & Parcel. 2012-02-21. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  8. ^ "CitySprint's Patrick Gallagher named Dealmaker of the Year at M&A Awards". Growth Business. 2014-06-27. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  9. ^ "MetaPack enables ASOScom same-day delivery service | News | Retail Technology". www.retailtechnology.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  10. ^ "CitySprint launches B2C service offering one-hour delivery window". Post & Parcel. 2015-06-04. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  11. ^ "CitySprint launches On the dot to bring ultrea-convenience to the delivery experience". CILT(UK). Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  12. ^ Armstrong, Ashley (2015-01-05). "CitySprint hires advisers to explore options: UK's leading courier firm hires advisers to explore strategic options just days after delivery rival City Link collapsed into administration, causing 2,300 job losses". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2019-09-23. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  13. ^ "Bike courier wins 'gig' economy case". 2017-01-07. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  14. ^ Butler, Sarah (2017-11-15). "CitySprint accused of 'making a mockery' of employment rights". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2019-09-23. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  15. ^ "CitySprint trialling hydrogen van in London". Post & Parcel. 2018-01-05. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  16. ^ a b c d "How debt kills". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  17. ^ CitySprint's Confirmation of Tender to Supply Courier Services
  18. ^ "Killed by My Debt", Wikipedia, 2021-01-24, retrieved 2021-03-12
  19. ^ Salisbury, Mark (2019-09-04). "CitySprint launches Forward Stock Locations to streamline inventory management and distribution". FleetPoint. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  20. ^ "Medical Courier Market Solid Analyzed Segmentation, Demand, Recent Share Estimation and Growth Prospects by Regions to 2024". The Chicago Sentinel. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  21. ^ "CitySprint wins Brighton & Hove merchandise contract". SHD Logistics News. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  22. ^ "Acquisition of Transworld courier by CitySprint". www.bdo.co.uk. July 2017. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  23. ^ "CitySprint acquires Heathrow Baggage Services". www.fleetnews.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  24. ^ "Aircraft parts delivered faster".
  25. ^ "Addison Lee and CitySprint expand fleets with Lewis Day acquisition". www.fleetnews.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  26. ^ "Letchworth Courier snapped up by CitySprint". Insider Media Ltd. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  27. ^ "Northampton courier bought by CitySprint". Insider Media Ltd. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  28. ^ "CitySprint buys Bexley Couriers". www.logisticsmanager.com. 28 October 2015. Retrieved 2019-08-22.