The acquisition of same-day delivery company CitySprint by DPD UK, for an undisclosed sum, has been given the go-ahead by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

A CitySprint spokesman said that they were pleased to have received confirmation that the planned acquisition of CitySprint by DPDgroup has now been approved by the CMA.

"Over the next month we will work closely with DPDgroup to finalise this transaction," he added. 

"We are delighted to be joining DPDgroup and excited about the new opportunities that exist for same day services across the expanded customer base."

The acquisition, which was announced in August, follows a period of growth for CitySprint, which says it has seen continued demand for its services as businesses require more urgent and time critical same-day deliveries.

In July, it announced a recruitment drive in response to a significant uplift in logistics demand, especially in the London area.

As a result of the deal, DPD UK’s customers will be able to access CitySprint’s same-day and specialist delivery services in the UK, while CitySprint will be able to offer its customers access to DPD UK’s domestic next day and international expertise.

DPD said that the existing CitySprint leadership team will remain in place.

Elaine Kerr, CEO of DPD UK, told Fleet News in August that same day delivery is one of the fastest growing segments of the logistics market.

“Even before the pandemic, demand for both next day and same-day deliveries was soaring, and this trend has only escalated, something which we see continuing,” she said.

“DPD UK is already a market-leader, and once this acquisition completes, our position in the market will be strengthened further.”

CitySprint supports businesses across the UK with a range of delivery solutions, including same day, bespoke logistics design and specialist services for key sectors such as retail and healthcare.

Its national same-day delivery network comprises 30-plus service centres across the UK with geographical reach to more than 88% of the mainland population within 60 minutes, it says.

Speaking to Fleet News when the deal was originally announced, Gary West, CEO of CitySprint, said he was pleased to be joining DPDgroup and “excited” about the new opportunities for growth the deal will bring.

“Our two businesses are experts in their respective fields, with very complementary offers,” he added. “This move is testament to both the continued strong demand for same-day delivery and our successful growth strategy.

“We look forward to working with DPDgroup to explore new opportunities for our same day expertise and services.” 

DPD operates more than 10,000 vehicles from 84 locations and delivers in excess of 300 million parcels a year. DPD Group is the parcel delivery network of GeoPost, which posted sales of €11 billion (£9.3bn) in 2020. GeoPost is a holding company owned by Le Groupe La Poste.

DPD UK is a member of DPD Group, wholly owned by France's La Poste, the second largest postal group in Europe.