- DHL Global Forwarding delivered more than one million books to the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale events across Asia
- The success of each book sale event hinges on the timely delivery of over 70 TEU of books, supported by DHL Global Forwarding’s expertise in ocean and road freight, customs clearance, warehousing, and trade fair services
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 19 November 2019 – The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale, which first started in Selangor, Malaysia, has become synonymous all over the world with affordable books and large-scale book sale events. DHL Global Forwarding lent its expertise in end-to-end logistics to bring millions of books of all genre for the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale to reach the readers in countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan.
“In just 10 years, the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale has grown from a single book sale in Kuala Lumpur into a regional literary phenomenon that has defied pessimism about the printed word’s future,” said Andrew Yap, Co-Founder of Big Bad Wolf Books. “When we started in 2009, we couldn’t have anticipated the huge demand and positive reactions given that digital e-books were all the rage. Our persistent efforts paid off culminating in more than five million attendees at our events over the past two years alone.”
Known as the World’s Biggest Book Sale, the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale stands for an organization that advocates reading and English literacy with a mission to change the world one book at a time. DHL Global Forwarding’s ocean and road freight services transport around 70 TEU (twenty foot-equivalent unit) of books to each Big Bad Wolf Book Sale event across Asia. The organization also provides customs clearance and last-mile trucking to ensure each event runs without a hitch.
“The unique nature of book imports requires our customs brokerage team to carry out intensive pre-work documentation and closely coordinate with several parties upon each shipment’s arrival at its destination,” said Kelvin Leung, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific. “Our expertise in and history of working with customs regulators around the Asia Pacific region have proved immensely useful in ensuring that the books arrive on time. We count it a privilege to act as Big Bad Wolf Books’ logistics provider as they strengthen literacy and a love for reading in communities across Asia.”
“The logistics of book sales aren’t as straightforward at first glance. Customs clearance services play a particularly crucial role in maintaining an efficient supply chain — an exact and detailed description of each book is required for customs clearance purposes due to differing laws and regulations governing the sale of books around the world, while most local authorities stipulate that books can only be delivered to event venues within strict time limits,” said Olivia Cashin, Head of Value Added Services, DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific.
The global book printing market is anticipated to reach US$49 billion by 2024, with Asia Pacific contributing the largest market share of any region in 2018. Books sold at the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale come from excess stock of major international distributors, resulting in discounts between 50% and 90% off recommended retail price.
“As we expand into more cities, we’re honing our logistics capabilities to keep our book sales events aptly stocked, whilst navigating the complexity of customs and regulations in many of the markets that we operate in. DHL Global Forwarding’s team of experts have been a valuable help with that,” said Andrew.
50 Years DHL
In 2019 DHL is celebrating 50 years since the company’s founding by three entrepreneurs in San Francisco in 1969. DHL began as a disruptor to the traditional delivery industry, circumventing bureaucracy with an innovative new service to deliver documents by air overnight. Since then, DHL has grown into a globe-spanning family of DHL companies with about 380,000 employees in over 220 countries and territories that covers the entire spectrum of logistics and supply chain services. DHL’s customer-centricity and can-do culture have fueled five decades of innovation — from the DHL 1000, one of the first word processing computers in the world, to using the purpose built StreetScooter, an environmentally friendly delivery vehicle powered by an electric drive and developed by Deutsche Post DHL Group. With the Mission 2050 commitment to reach zero group-wide emissions by 2050, DHL is continuing to be a trailblazer in the logistics industry.
DHL — The logistics company for the world
DHL is the leading global brand in the logistics industry. Our DHL family of divisions offer an unrivalled portfolio of logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery, e-commerce shipping and fulfillment solutions, international express, road, air and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management. With about 380,000 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, DHL connects people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global trade flows. With specialized solutions for growth markets and industries including technology, life sciences and healthcare, energy, automotive and retail, a proven commitment to corporate responsibility and an unrivalled presence in developing markets, DHL is decisively positioned as “The logistics company for the world”.
DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group. The Group generated revenues of more than 61 billion euros in 2018.
About the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale
Known as the World’s Biggest Book Sale, the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale specializes in providing the widest selection of books possible at the lowest possible prices. It offers brand new books at discounts as high as 90%, with the primary aim of encouraging people of all ages to discover the joys of affordable, accessible reading.
The Book Sale features a wide range of books across all genres, including fiction and non-fiction bestsellers, young adult fiction, as well as an extensive collection of children’s books.
The Sale, the brainchild of BookXcess founders Andrew Yap and Jacqueline Ng, has been a landmark event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia since 2009. The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale has no plans to stop making reading affordable for readers around the world.
