Blue Dart expanding operations to potential northern markets

- Opens a new retail outlet at Baddi, Himachal Pradesh

Mumbai, December 03, 2004:
Blue Dart Express Limited, South Asia's leading courier and integrated air express package distribution company; today announced the opening of its new state of art 1160 sq.ft. retail outlet in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, as part of its commitment to extend and provide service quality excellence to its customers into and from Baddi.

Blue Dart, in its bid to tap the growing potential of this township has set up an outlet offering its range of services to the population including renowned business houses like Vardhaman Group, Dabur, Joyco, Secure Meters, Dharam Pal Satya Pal Group and Havells who have been operating out of Baddi over a period of time. In addition, leading companies like Godrej, Titan, Johnson & Johnson, LG, Indo-Pharma have recently set up their bases here and will contribute largely to the express and logistics market of the region. Some other prominent groups who have also planned to set up units here are Wipro, Colgate, Hindustan Lever, Nestle, T Series, Shyam Telelink and several pharma companies viz. Cipla, Cadilla, Alembic, Panacea BioTech, and Dr. Reddy's Labs, implying a huge potential in the medical logistics business .

Baddi is strategically located approximately 50 kms from Chandigarh, is close to Panchkula and falls in the Solan District of Himachal Pradesh. The town has a workforce of approximately 30,000 people and contributes about Rs 40 crore to the state exchequer by way of taxes. The State Government as part of a large-scale effort to industrialise the State, is committed to developing this town into `the industrial hub' of Himachal Pradesh.

Speaking about this development, Ashok Kumar Jain, Senior Vice President - North, Blue Dart Express Limited, said, "There is a strong latent demand for distribution into and from the region which has an increasing number of small & large scale industrial establishments." He further added, "Baddi is poised for industrial growth, and Blue Dart with the fastest, most reliable delivery service and expanding reach, is ready to cater to this burgeoning market. We are committed to the Indian customers and are focused on providing quality services to ensure peace of mind."

Blue Dart, South Asia's leading courier and integrated air express package distribution company with a dedicated aviation infrastructure, offers secure and reliable delivery of consignments to over 13,700 locations in India, 800 locations in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka, and 220 countries worldwide. Blue Dart was selected a Superbrand from over 700 brands across 98 categories in India. The Blue Dart team drives marketplace leadership through its motivated people force, unique aviation system, cutting edge technology, innovation and value-added services to deliver unmatched standards of service quality to its customers.

For further information contact :

marketing@bluedart.com
Dated : December 03, 2004