DHL Group and Temu have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to expand their existing partnership.
The expansion will focus on supporting small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) and on growing Temu’s presence in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, according to the two companies.
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According to the announcement, DHL will provide transportation solutions, intelligence on logistics and more to Temu in an attempt to “provide more efficient and sustainable supply chain services.”
Katja Busch, the logistics company’s chief commercial officer and head of DHL customer solutions and innovation, said the partnership will help the two companies explore new ways of doing business in Europe.
“Through our various DHL divisions, we are already providing a wide range of logistics services and solutions, including air freight and last-mile delivery. We are excited to elevate our partnership with Temu to the next level. By combining our logistics capabilities with Temu’s innovative platform, we can create more efficient, compliant and convenient solutions that benefit both consumers and local businesses in the markets we serve,” she said in a statement.
Like many other marketplace platforms, Temu effectively has two buckets of customers: its vendors and its end consumers. Qin Sun, co-founder of Temu, said he believes the continuation of the partnership will positively impact both groups.
“This letter of intent marks a significant step in our partnership with DHL Group. Its extensive network and logistics capabilities will help support our mission to increase consumer access to affordable products and help increase growth opportunities for sellers,” he said in a statement.
The announcement came just two days after U.S. President Donald Trump said on “Liberation Day” that he would do away with the de minimis provision, at first on goods inbound from China. The trade exception allows low-value parcels—like those often sold on Temu and fast-fashion juggernaut Shein—to enter the U.S. without duties. Once May 2 comes around, low-value parcels coming from China will be subject to duties.
Experts have projected that such a move could see prices on Temu’s goods going up to account for the additional duties owed. That could be the case on both goods that are shipped as one-off orders from China to the consumer’s doorstep and goods that sellers ship en masse to U.S.-based warehouses.