Since 2015, when the chain of home and garden stores in the Czech Republic started operating its e-shop, the number of shipments to their customers has been steadily increasing. Lockdown also played a role in the shipment numbers, as people started to use online shopping in a big way. Since this industry is also highly dependent on the season, seasonality has a significant impact on customer orders and purchases. A large proportion of the 100,000 active items in the Hornbach portfolio are shipped to customers by Geis.

Hornbach uses mostly standard delivery services for its shipments. In some cases, however, Geis also sends a two-man crew on the road as part of its premium service to make handling the goods at the delivery point hassle-free.  Large goods (such as selected garden houses) are moved to their destination by vehicles with a hydraulic arm. The average weight of a shipment transported by Geis for Hornbach is approximately 400 kg. Special equipment is therefore sometimes useful./p>

Marian Ďuriš, Fulfillment Manager E-business CZ/SK HORNBACH says: "Geis has been a stable and important partner for HORNBACH in the field of logistics in the Czech Republic since 2015, when we started our cooperation. We appreciate this cooperation and the speed with which they respond to our and our customers' requirements."

In order to deliver to end customers quickly and reliably, a seamless integration of the two partners' information systems is essential. Hornbach relies on Geis for flexible services, even in the face of ever-changing customer requirements. Due to these fluctuations in demand, Geis has to react within a few hours and send out additional available vehicles to ensure that the customer is satisfied and does not wait too long for the goods. Because Hornbach outsources the transport service, there are no problems in securing additional capacity - both personnel and technical. It is common for several additional requests to be added to the pre-ordered delivery vehicles during the morning and for Geis to dispatch additional vehicles in the afternoon.

Hornbach's logistics provider also provides complete packaging material for e-shop shipments. The entire range of box types is usually made of five-layer cardboard. For packaging non-standard products Geis also supplies the so-called endless sheet. Communication for holding a sufficient supply of packaging material is via EDI - electronic data interchange. There are therefore no conventional paper orders or the need for manual copying of data. When the quantity of packaging drops below a certain level, a new order is automatically sent directly to Geis, which stocks it and sends it to one of Hornbach's warehouses. The DIY chain therefore does not have to deal with the unavailability of packaging materials and the complexity of securing them in these challenging times; Geis takes care of this for them. And it is precisely less administration and time-consuming processes that allow Hornbach to focus more on its core business.

On the basis of many years of satisfied cooperation in the Czech Republic, a partnership has also been established in Slovakia. As in the Czech Republic, Geis delivers Slovak customers' orders from the e-shop and supplies the chain with packaging material.