J&T Express lands in Brazil as part of its LATAM expansion

J&T Express lands in Brazil as part of its LATAM expansion. Source: J&T Express

J&T Express sambas to Brazil

  • After launching in Mexico, J&T Express expands further by setting up its presence in Brazil, two of the largest economies in Latin America.
  • In total, J&T Express is now in 12 countries around Asia and Latin America.

Earlier this year, Indonesia-based parcel delivery startup J&T Express expanded into Mexicoafter establishing a strong presence in Southeast Asia and China. Mexico was in fact the company’s first foray into Latin America —  but it did not stop there. The fast-growing company has now announced that it has officially launched its network in Brazil, thus completing its expansion in two of the largest LATAM economies.

In Mexico, the Indonesian company has set up 12 sorting centers and 26 distribution hubs across every state in Mexico. J&T Express even planned a local version of its mobile app. For Brazil, the delivery company has established its distribution network across all 26 states and one federal district. For context, Brazil is the world’s fifth-largest country by land area and also the largest economy in the whole of Latin America. 

The country has the biggest and most developed e-commerce market in the region. According to The Brazilian Electronic Commerce Association (ABComm), in 2021, e-commerce sales in Brazil grew 74% compared to 2019. “The rapidly growing e-commerce market presents significant opportunities for the express logistics industry, and J&T Express,” the company said in its press release.

J&T Express group vice president Charles House said J&T Express attaches great importance to expanding in the Latin American market and the launch in Brazil is an integral step in having a presence in the region.

“The success of the networks launched in Mexico and Brazil within a short time frame further demonstrates the benefits of the regional sponsorship model in our global expansion. It is also an important step for the company to continue to further cultivate emerging markets and expand its strategic global footprint.”

For J&T Express Brazil head Andy Wang, the Brazilian market is developing rapidly with a great potential for further growth, compared to other countries and regions with well-established e-commerce and logistics businesses.

“We believe J&T Express is well-positioned to leverage its determination and capabilities in building local operations to establish a refined service network in Brazil and provide local customers with an efficient, convenient and quality logistics experience,” Wang added.

J&T also touched on Singapore’s strategic location and its ambition to make the island city-state a regional e-commerce hub. The company is basically expanding its network in Singapore as part of its internationalization strategy, with service points such as J&T points and new warehouses like the Changi Airfreight Center to ensure greater efficiency and security of quality delivery services offered for both local and regional customers. 

At this point, J&T Express’ network spans twelve countries including China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Singapore, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Brazil. A report by DealStreetAsia in January this year said J&T was Southeast Asia’s top startup last year in terms of funding, raising US$4.5 billion — almost 20% of the total raised across the region. 

That puts the company far ahead of second-placed GoTo, an Indonesian tech conglomerate created through the merger of super app Gojek and online retailer Tokopedia, which raised US$1.6 billion.