Huboo

The British e-commerce fulfilment service provider Huboo is opening a new branch in the Leipzig district. The fast-growing company is thus initiating the next phase of its development: access to the German and Eastern European market.

Founded in 2017 by Martin Bysh (CEO) and Paul Dodd (CTO), Huboo's vision from the outset was to revolutionise the online business for retailers with a mix of multichannel services and technical innovation. And it has been successful: four fulfilment centres have been opened in the UK alone since the company was founded, followed by branches in Spain and the Netherlands, with 16 more locations in the pipeline.

Huboo's growth is based on the one hand on the successful idea of offering highly complex processes as a user-friendly end-to-end service for customers using software developed in-house. On the other hand, the company is benefiting from developments in the e-commerce market. According to Statista, the European e-commerce market is expected to grow by 47% to a market volume of around USD 1,221 billion by 2025.

The new site in the district of Leipzig is perfectly located in terms of logistics: it is optimally connected to the road network and only a few kilometres away from Germany's second largest cargo airport and top 4 cargo hub in Europe as well as the freight transport centre. These criteria made the decision to open a site in Leipzig an easy one. "Leipzig is a hub for logistics, supply chain, eCommerce, tech start-ups and innovative companies. This makes it a perfect fit for our innovative business approach, based on our leading technology and our globally unique micro hub model," says CEO Martin Bysh about the choice of location.

Mr Gerald Schmitt-Reichardt, new Huboo site manager in Leipzig, continues: "Leipzig has long been a hub for logistics and supply chains, perfectly positioned in Europe as a gateway to the continent and Eastern Europe, where we as a company are now focusing our efforts. Above all, we want to gain access to the German market, the largest market in Europe. As a trading centre, Leipzig is very well positioned to help us achieve our goals. It offers new opportunities for our existing customers, but also access to new customers and the chance to build a network in the Leipzig region itself.

Integration into the local economy is particularly important for Huboo," he emphasises. This can also be seen from the fact that Huboo decided to rent the hall of LOTH, a medium-sized haulage company with strong local roots. The company was supported by Invest Region Leipzig GmbH, which provided customised support for the relocation from the outset: "Invest Region Leipzig GmbH is our local partner and was instrumental in helping Huboo to relocate to Leipzig, particularly in the search for a suitable logistics location. It's no exaggeration to say that we couldn't have done it without them. At least it was a much smoother and faster arrival in the region," emphasises Gerald Schmitt-Reichardt.

The rental agreement for Huboo's largest location to date, at 10,000 m², was signed at the beginning of April and the next step is to fill the space with life. Huboo is also endeavouring to strengthen the local economy. The company wants to work together with companies from the region and create new jobs. The business location impresses with its well-trained specialists from a wide range of sectors. With 14 universities alone - including excellent training and research centres such as Leipzig University, HTWK and HHL, as well as a large number of different technical and vocational schools in the area - the next generation of skilled workers is well catered for.

"We are very interested in attracting graduates in order to build our company with these talents, but also to help them grow in their careers. Participating in the IRL and Leipzig University HR event "WORK IN LEIPZIG" back in November 2021 was therefore very good for us. We want to show that we are a very attractive company that works in a very employee-centred way and has a high value system. We currently have around half of the 32 employees we want to hire for the launch in Gerichshain near Leipzig. Nine of them are Business Development Managers, an essential role for our business; it is therefore important to work with the right local partners to optimise the recruitment process," explains Gerald Schmitt-Reichardt.

Huboo was also able to count on the support of Invest Region Leipzig in its search for qualified, highly motivated and customer-orientated warehouse employees. Gerald Schmitt-Reichardt explains: "The HR network and the contacts provided by Invest Region Leipzig were very helpful. We enjoy working with local employment agencies to gain access to talent and were quickly provided with competent support."

Huboo sees itself as part of the local community at all locations. The aim is to create 250 new jobs in the Leipzig region.