Explosive growth of speed cameras stagnates now that lockdowns are over

After a lightning-fast rise, speed cameras have become an indispensable part of the streets of large cities since the corona crisis. Nevertheless, the growth of Gorillas, Zapp and Getir has stagnated since the beginning of this year. This is apparent from transaction data from ABN Amro, ANP news agency reported on Friday.

The delivery services have seen their turnover explode by a factor of 20 since the second half of last year, partly due to the lockdowns. In particular, the months of January to March of that year were a highlight for the flash deliverers. But growth has stagnated since April, according to ABN researchers.

According to ABN Ambro economist Gerarda Westerhuis, the explanation for the decline in growth is twofold. According to her, the delivery services are mainly affected by the opening of the catering industry. During the lockdowns, many Dutch people ordered drinks and snacks, but the demand for these has fallen due to the reopening of the catering industry.

Also read: Chaos at Gorillas: ‘I broke a rib. Three days later I was fired’

Negative publicity

Another reason for the stagnation, according to Westerhuis, is the negative publicity surrounding the flash deliverers. After complaints from local residents, the municipality of Rotterdam decided not to open any new distribution centers and a number of so-called dark stores in Amsterdam were even closed.

From research by NRC Last month it turned out that the German delivery service Gorillas in the Netherlands has chronic problems with things such as bicycle maintenance, inventory management and salary payment. For example, according to (former) employees, payslips were never correct and cartons of milk were sometimes left next to overflowing refrigerators all day long. Delivery drivers also had bicycle accidents due to broken bicycles.

At the end of last month, delivery service Zapp announced that it wanted to stop in the Netherlands, because the company would no longer be viable because, among other things, the municipality of Amsterdam is banning distribution centers from residential areas. Due to the continuing uncertainty about the regulations in the Netherlands, the company says it can no longer keep up with the intended growth.

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