Poland’s InPost Steps Up French Expansion With €500m Parcel-Locker Push
InPost is expanding its French parcel-locker network after becoming one of Poland’s most visible corporate success stories abroad. Its reach now stretches from the UK to Spain and Portugal, while a pending FedEx-backed buyout offer could give it further scale.
InPost’s French push has become one of the clearest examples of Poland’s new corporate reach in Western Europe. Photo: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images
|
Polish delivery company InPost is continuing its European expansion, announcing earlier this week that it plans to invest a further €500m ($580m) in its French operations by 2030, on top of the €900m ($1bn) it has already invested in the country.
It is the latest step in the company’s rapid growth across Europe, with InPost now operating in eight countries outside Poland, including the UK, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Belgium.
French President Emmanuel Macron thanked InPost for choosing France. He said the company, which he described as “the first European self-service delivery platform”, would create 750 jobs by 2030 and improve customer experience and automation.
Responding to Macron, InPost chief executive Rafal Brzoska said the company’s investment in France would soon rise to €1.4bn ($1.6bn), cementing its position as the largest Polish investor in the country.
Brzoska was attending the Choose France summit at the Palace of Versailles, where almost 300 chief executives of major companies from across the world gathered to discuss investment in France.
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during the "Choose France" business summit, aiming to attract foreign investors to the country, at the Chateau de Versailles in Versailles, near Paris, France, June 1, 2026. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/Pool
InPost’s Rise Mirrors Poland’s Economic Boom
InPost’s success has become synonymous with Poland’s economic boom. Its humble beginnings gave no indication of the market-leading position it would one day contend for in Europe.
Born of Brzoska’s leaflet distribution company Integer.pl Group, InPost introduced its first parcel lockers, known in Poland as Paczkomat machines, in 2009. The self-service machines allow users to send and receive packages 24 hours a day, every day of the week.
Through acquisitions including French package delivery company Mondial Relay, Britain’s Yodel and Spanish logistics company Sending, InPost entered the Western European market and helped transform Europe’s out-of-home delivery and parcel-locker sector.
The company announced last year that it now operates more Paczkomat devices abroad than in Poland. At the time of the announcement, its network included about 27,000 parcel lockers in Poland and about 27,300 internationally.
In the United Kingdom, InPost operates 12,000 parcel lockers, while in France it has 9,000 through its subsidiary Mondial Relay.
The company’s Polish operations have provided the model for its business elsewhere. Management consulting firm Kearney described Poland’s parcel-locker market as “standout”, noting that the country has an average of just over one parcel locker for every 1,000 inhabitants and that the machines are located in villages as well as towns and cities.
Parcel-Locker Innovation Moves Into Travel
Other parcel-delivery innovations that have earned InPost attention include an airport baggage check-in alternative, enabling customers to drop parcels or luggage at InPost lockers in Poland for collection abroad and vice versa in countries where InPost operates.
The service was expanded last week with the announcement of an InPost parcel suitcase, designed to fit perfectly into one of the company’s lockers.
“InPost is redefining European travel”, Brzoska said. “We’re introducing @InPostPL Parcel Suitcase – a polycarbonate suitcase perfectly filling size C in the Parcel Machine. Detachable wheels, combination lock, sending and receiving in 8 countries”, he added. “No more queues and the huge cost of sending at the airport.”
In February, an international consortium led by Advent International and FedEx announced a recommended all-cash offer for InPost in a deal valuing the company at €7.8bn ($9bn). The group said it would “help drive InPost’s growth potential as a leading European ecommerce solutions enabler by supporting its existing growth strategy including further expansion of its parcel locker network and growth in consumer-centric digital solutions”.
FedEx noted that it would bring “deep industry expertise based on its diversified and global network, and advanced technology” to the company’s operations.
The transaction is expected to be completed in the second half of 2026, with InPost to remain under Brzoska’s leadership and headquartered in Poland.
Poland’s Corporate Reach
Poland’s economic success has been accompanied by a number of homegrown companies reaching beyond the country’s borders, particularly in the tech sector.
Most notably, video game developer CD Projekt Red achieved global recognition for The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, both of which sold tens of millions of copies worldwide.
The company, headquartered in Warsaw, has previously been listed as Europe’s most valuable video game developer, vying with French publisher Ubisoft for the top spot.
Meanwhile, Polish company Allegro offers a regional alternative to Amazon and has expanded its digital market into Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary.
Welcome to the comments section of the Štandard daily. Please take note of our guidelines, comments are moderated by us. You can contact the moderators at support@statement.com.
Participate in the discussion
Comments are available to subscribers only. If you'd like to join the discussion, choose a subscription starting at €6.72 per month.
All comments 0
Register
Comments are available to registered users only. If you'd like to join the discussion, register here.
