After reviewing the past year, international parcel company Venipak announced that the Group’s turnover reached €101 million in 2023. In addition to the rapid expansion of the parcel machine network and the completion of its important milestone in the Baltics, the company has also started to actively develop an exclusively e-commerce-focused business branch. According to the company’s CEO, Justas Šablinskas, in the long run, the latter should become the basis for the company’s success. Accordingly, the company also focuses on team building and pooling competences within.
Continuous investments in parcel machines
In 2023, the company continued to successfully expand its parcel machine network in the Baltics: by the end of the year, the total number of parcel machines in Lithuania had reached 270, with 20 new marcel machines installed and 60 existing ones expanded. In Latvia, the company ended the year with 200 parcel machines, while in Estonia 160 modern parcel machines were newly installed. “We have been actively developing our parcel machine network since 2020 and have already invested more than €5 million in the Baltics throughout the year. Our first market was Lithuania, followed by Latvia, and last year we finally completed our parcel machine network expansion in Estonia, linking all three countries into a single network and making parcel delivery even faster and more convenient. However, we are not stopping here, and since the beginning of the year we have been carrying out further development in response to the needs of the markets and the habits of consumers,” says Šablinskas, adding that delivery of goods to parcel machines, rather than to people’s homes, is becoming an increasingly common choice. 
The company plans to expand its parcel machine network in the Baltic region to 800 parcel machines within this year: In Lithuania, 115 new parcel machines are to be installed and 75 expanded. In Estonia another 30 new parcel machines are expected by the end of the year and 50 existing ones expanded. A further €1.5 million per year will be invested to expand the parcel machine network in Lithuania and Estonia.
Helping e-commerce businesses grow
According to Šablinskas, 2023 was a particularly significant year for the group’s expansion outside the Baltics – the Dutch e-commerce wholesaler, acquired last year, now operates under the name of Venipak Commerce. The choice of a new market for the expansion was targeted because the Benelux e-commerce industry, dominated by the Netherlands, is thriving, with 74% of all internet users in the region buying online, 10% more than the European average. “With this move, we are changing our business model – we are now an e-wholesaler, not just a courier company. This business niche has great potential not only in Europe, but in the whole world, where it is still to fully develop. For example, most e-shops still work directly with suppliers and manufacturers, while we want to offer them the best local solution with fast delivery anywhere in Europe within 24 hours”, says Šablinskas.
Strengthening the team
As part of our ambitious business plans, we also focus on our employees and on strengthening individual teams and competences. Over the past year, the Venipak team has grown by 11% and around 13% of employees have moved up the career ladder within the company. The company has actively invested in staff retention and upskilling, with 60 leaders and middle managers trained, a new training academy and appointment of dedicated theory instructors. According to J. Šablinskas, the management team has also received great attention: “Our companies in Latvia, Estonia and the Netherlands already have independent managers who are responsible for local teams and the implementation of particular objectives. In line with the long-term strategic direction of the business, last year the company created the position of Head of International Development, which went to Sabina Bačiulienė, who has extensive experience in e-commerce. She is responsible for e-commerce development, the synergy of the services the company provides while striving for exponential growth, and the development of a comprehensive order fulfilment service in Europe.” According to Šablinskas, this year the company will continue to transform the approach to e-commerce logistics, offering integrated solutions that reflect the needs of the growing sector, as well as focusing on automation, increasing efficiency and ensuring a pleasant customer experience.