Nationwide Express’ head of strategic sales and marketing Syahrindah Azman said the discontinuation of the company’s business and operations is the result of a winding-up petition that was filed against it. “We wish to put on record that we have always valued the business relationship that has existed between us over the years, and once again thank you for your support,” she added. For the uninitiated, Nationwide Express was founded by late businessman Tan Sri Basir Ismail, with roots tracing back to 1985. According to its website, the company has 1,100 dedicated employees, a fleet of more than 300 vehicles, 500 motorbike couriers, and a network of 150 branches and agents in Malaysia, as well as in neighbouring countries Singapore and Brunei. It also boasts the capacity to handle over 40,000 packages per day, and has been regarded as one of the country’s leading courier service providers. The company’s announcement follows after the recent departures of two other local establishments from the last-mile delivery sector. The first of which being KTM Distribution Sdn Bhd which, despite having a 38-year presence in the courier and logistics business, shuttered its doors earlier this month. On the other hand, CJ Century Logistics Holdings Bhd also exited the scene by selling off its loss-making courier arm in 2021 for RM 7.5 million to its Singaporean counterpart, CJ Logistics Asia Pte Ltd. There are probably many factors that could lead to the closure of such courier service providers in Malaysia, but chief among them is the increasing number of competitors in the scene. According to The Edge, our country alone has granted 122 courier licences, which is actually twice more than those available in Thailand – a nation that has a population count larger than our own. Also not disregarding faster, alternative services such as Lalamove and GrabExpress, which provides same-day dispatch and delivery. (Source: The Edge Markets)
