GLS France has acquired the Relais Colis brand and its network of nearly 7,000 pickup points from the Walden transport and logistics group, after Relais Colis was placed in judicial reorganisation in March. The deal lifts GLS into a stronger position in French out-of-home delivery and reshuffles France’s parcel relay landscape.
A Three-Way Split for Walden’s Distressed Asset
The Relais Colis perimeter is being carved in three pieces. GLS, the Dutch-controlled parcel carrier, takes the brand and the relay network. Jacky Perrenot picks up the heavy parcel delivery activity through its JP Home brand. The sorting platform of Combs-la-Ville, in Seine-et-Marne, moves to the Mondial Relay network, part of InPost.
Roughly forty Relais Colis employees follow the brand to GLS. JP Home takes in about thirty more. Mondial Relay absorbs around ten.
GLS Doubles Down on Out-of-Home
For GLS, the acquisition is squarely about scale in pickup-point retail logistics. Group CEO Karl Pfaff said the European out-of-home network passed 140,000 access points by end-April 2026, up 42% year on year, citing the move as a way to back its ambition to provide flexible delivery options across Europe.
Youssef Tagemouati, managing director of GLS France, framed the buy as part of an effort to anchor the carrier as a long-term logistics partner for French e-commerce growth. GLS plans to keep the Relais Colis network open to other carriers and commercial partners, a model that mirrors how multi-carrier consolidation has played out in adjacent European parcel markets.
Market Context
Walden, owner of the Geodis-adjacent transport perimeter and a serial buyer of distressed logistics assets in France, had inherited Relais Colis from prior consolidation. Its placement into redressement judiciaire reflects the squeeze on France’s parcel relay segment, where margin pressure from e-commerce volume swings and contract repricing has pushed several operators to restructure. The three-way split avoids a wind-down and preserves most of the operational footprint.
