French ecommerce given courier boost

The newly formed company, called Chrono e-liko, will sell its services to e-tailers needing to send goods and products to customers.

Chronopost, owned by French post office La Poste, claimed it is looking to float within two years and have an annual turnover of $1bn by 2003.

Gilles Moutel, director general of Chronopost International, said French internet users have a distrust of ecommerce because many doubt products will arrive. He claimed using an already established delivery service will alleviate these fears and encourage the growth of ecommerce in France.

Within France, the service will be available in Lille, Lyon and Marseille in the first few months of next year. This will be extended to Bordeaux, Nantes and Strasbourg by the end of the year.

However, Moutel said Chrono e-liko will extend operations to Brussels and Madrid next year before turning its attention to the German, Italian, Portuguese and UK markets.