GLS is moving into one of Europe’s fastest-growing parcel markets. The Dutch express carrier has set up a joint venture, GLS Türkiye, with a group of local investors, and plans to start operations before the end of 2026.
Local Partners, Local Knowledge
GLS built the venture alongside Turkish investors who have spent years in transport and logistics. Running it will be Özgür Firat Kut, cofounder of investment firm LE10 Investing and a former executive at MNG Kargo, the Turkish parcel operator DHL acquired in 2023. The backers read like a who’s who of the local sector: Aslan Kut, former head of MNG Kargo; Turgut Erkeskin, past president of freight-forwarding federation FIATA; and Şerafettin Aras, current chairman of Turkish transport association UND.
A Gateway to Asia
For GLS, part of the appeal is geographic. Group CEO Karl Pfaff described Turkey as a transcontinental bridge toward Asia, with heavy cross-border parcel flows to and from Europe that the company has tracked for years. A local presence, he said, lets GLS serve those connections more efficiently, while the joint venture supplies the on-the-ground expertise it had been missing.
Market Context
Turkey’s parcel market has grown fast on the back of e-commerce, and it has pulled in outside operators before. DHL’s 2023 purchase of MNG Kargo was the clearest sign. GLS is taking a different path, betting that a JV with established local players beats a straight acquisition.
Operations begin late in 2026. Whether GLS can win share against entrenched domestic carriers and a well-funded DHL is the test that comes next.
