The firm helps online U.S. and U.K. retailers ship to some 100 countries.

United Parcel Service of America Inc. has bought i-parcel LLC, which helps e-retailers send products to overseas consumers. UPS did not say how much it paid for the company.

“The acquisition complements UPS’s international cross-border logistics capabilities from the U.S. and U.K., to over 100 countries,” UPS says. “As e-commerce merchants in the U.S., U.K. and other countries grow, UPS continues to strengthen its logistics and technology capabilities to meet the demands of its global customer base.”

I-Parcel, founded in 2005, serves three merchants in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide and none in the Second 500 Guide. UPS provides shipping for 176 Top 500 retailers and 232 Second 500 retailers, according to data at Top500Guide.com. By comparison, rival FedEx Corp. serves 144 merchants in the Top 500 and 172 in the Second 500.

“I-parcel has been an international bridge linking U.S. and U.K. merchants to global e-commerce consumers throughout the world and our team is excited to join with UPS to further globalize e-commerce,” says Will Gensburg, i-parcel’s CEO, who will remain with the company.

UPS and FedEx has recently been gearing up for the holiday shopping season through hiring and other tactics designed to avoid any repeat of last year’s delivery mishaps—for which UPS accepted some responsibility. 

advertisement

 

Favorite