Amazon’s logistics network will have over 300 European sea routes
British hat designers Gamble & Gunn, believe the original energy and passion that was put into creating a classic hat doesn’t die, it only changes forms and owners. Gamble & Gunn use traditional heritage hat patterns to create their quintessentially British hats – from classic flat caps to pork pie hats and fedoras. And Amazon ensures that these unique craft made products reach customers across Europe fast and hassle free.
“Hassle-free” transportation from customs to final delivery
Similar to Gamble & Gunn, from the historic Devon village of Chawleigh, more than 60,000 other small and medium-sized business across the UK are growing their businesses by selling through Amazon to European customers, recording £1.8 billion in export sales in the European Union. To support these businesses, we are investing in sea transportation to put their products closer to customers.
“At Gamble & Gunn, we aim to craft hats you’ll want to wear now and always. With COVID-19 and all the changes the country has gone through, we decided to sell through Amazon to continue selling our hats to our European customers. Working with Amazon allows us to focus on what we do best – creating quality headwear,” says Nicola Cowper, owner of Gamble & Gunn. “The rest, from transportation to customs, to delivery to our customers is taken care of. It’s hassle-free.”
How traditional British hats are delivered to customers across Europe
Gamble & Gunn’s hats, crafted with meticulous attention to detail, begin their journey at one of Amazon’s sites in the UK. From there, they are transported to Felixstowe port and loaded onto a sea carrier DFDS[1] ship on their way to Vlaardingen port in Rotterdam from where they are taken to Amazon fulfillment centers ready to be picked, packaged and shipped when a customer clicks ‘buy’.
Taking advantage of Europe’s geographical peculiarities, we continue to grow our sea transportation network and are currently operating more than 300 sea routes across Europe. These routes are powered by partners like DFDS with their comprehensive shipping and logistics network. With more than 150 years of experience at sea, DFDS is a leader in sustainable waterborne transportation providing fast and reliable freight shipping.
As the unloading goes on in Vlaardingen port, Amazon and DFDS share technologies to ensure a seamless load pick-up experience for drivers and a hassle-free customs process for sellers.
Small businesses reach customers around the world leveraging Amazon’s logistics network
“At Amazon we’re proud to support small businesses on their journey to success and one of the many advantages of selling on Amazon is the opportunity to reach customers around the world. Over the past year we’ve seen that over 50% of UK small and medium enterprises selling on Amazon recorded sales to customers around the world, with more than 45% selling to customers in the European Union,” says Helder Velho, EU Vice President of Surface Transportation.
“We use sea routes to transport products of our UK sellers to Amazon’s European buildings, from where they will be shipped to customers once they order. Sea routes offer us a more efficient, less carbon intensive, and, fast mode of freight transport from the UK to a range of destinations.”
Amazon is proud to have nearly 100,000 small and medium-sized business sellers across the UK growing their businesses. In 2021, UK small and medium business partners recorded over £3.3 billion in export sales, with £1.8 billion in export sales in the European Union and £1.5billion in export sales outside of Europe.
On top of that, by moving products by sea or rail, instead of via road by trucks, we can significantly reduce our carbon footprint. On average, taking a rail or sea route to transport packages or inventory helps Amazon reduce carbon emissions by almost 50%.