Aramex, a leading global logistics solutions provider, has announced a 12 per cent increase in net profits to Dh96.9 million ($26.38) for the first quarter of 2016, compared to Dh86.6 million ($23.5 million) during the same period in 2015.

The revenues in the first quarter of 2016 increased to Dh1,048 million ($285 million), up 13 per cent compared to Dh930 million ($253.2 million) in Q1 2015, said a statement from the company.

The company’s strong performance was driven by growth across all its geographies. International Express recorded a strong performance in Q1, driven primarily by robust e-commerce growth across all markets, it added.

The Domestic Express business saw an increase in revenues in key markets, particularly in the Asia-Pacific, where the company’s revenue growth for the quarter was positively impacted by the acquisition of Fastway Couriers, it said.

Hussein Hachem, CEO of Aramex, said: “Despite global economic uncertainty, continuing oil price volatility and currency fluctuations, our performance in Q1 was very strong. Net profit growth could have been even stronger, up by 18 per cent, had we not accounted for a one time acquisition cost of Fastway Couriers during the quarter.”

“Revenue growth, primarily in international and domestic express, was driven by the continued expansion of our cross-border e-commerce business across key growth markets and contributed significantly to our good performance this quarter. Though we finished Q1 strongly, we experienced slower growth at the end of the quarter. We are closely watching this trend so we can quickly adjust to any volatility, and we’re cautiously optimistic about continuing our growth momentum further into 2016,” he added.

In spite of these challenges, Aramex remains highly committed to its strategy of leveraging disruptive, innovative technologies and launched a new mobile app in Q1, which will be rolled out across the UAE and additional markets in Q2, said the statement.

A “Rapid Scaling-Up” model will soon be unveiled to leverage more partnerships with delivery businesses worldwide, extend global reach and improve delivery transit times. The use of these innovative technologies is helping Aramex to quickly adjust to challenging market conditions, increase capacity and tap into unlimited resources across markets. In line with these developments, a continued focus for the rest of 2016 will be to further enhance the e-commerce platform due to the rapid growth of cross-border e-commerce.

The company will also continue to actively look for future acquisitions in key markets, particularly in Asia where it sees significant opportunities for business growth, as well as in Africa where it is witnessing a steady growth particularly in Sub-Sahara Africa, it stated.

Leveraging innovative technologies to support Aramex’s movement towards developing a more variable business model, becoming a technology-based enterprise and maintaining its position as a dynamic and disruptive global logistics player will continue to be a key focus for the business in the remainder of 2016, it added. – TradeArabia News Service