With the launch of JoyExpress, the European e-commerce logistics market gets a new serious contender. Backed by JINGDONG Logistics, the logistics arm of JD.com, the company promises same-day and next-day delivery in major cities, integrated installation for large appliances, cold-chain capabilities, and a fully branded last-mile.
JoyExpress will initially support Joybuy, JD.com’s new European online retail platform, set to launch in March 2026. The service will offer same-day and next-day delivery in major cities across the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and France. It will also provide integrated delivery and installation for large home appliances in selected cities.
Operating from more than 60 European warehouses and depots, JoyExpress uses a fleet of trucks, vans, and electric bicycles. The company emphasizes branded, professional last-mile delivery teams and a customer-first approach.
“JoyExpress offers Europe a new delivery and logistics choice,” said Axel Eggenwirth, Senior Director, Last Mile Europe, JINGDONG Logistics. “We look forward to bringing our industry-leading technology and capabilities to the market and consumers across France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK, while enhancing our supply chain logistics capabilities in sectors such as electronics, home appliances, fast-moving consumer goods, and groceries.
“With JoyExpress, Joybuy customers will have access to a cutting-edge, world-class fulfilment team for all their delivery needs. JoyExpress will help deliver Joybuy’s seamless, trusted, and joyful shopping experience to customers in Europe. JoyExpress will offer speed in every step, joy in every box.”
Integrated capabilities
The service is built on integrated capabilities, including warehousing, transportation, large-item logistics, cold chain, cross-border flows, and end-to-end supply chain technology. Supported by intelligent warehousing, automation, and data-driven operations, JoyExpress aims to deliver faster, more reliable, and more sustainable logistics performance.
Initially focused on Joybuy, JoyExpress plans to expand its delivery services to external business partners in the future. Globally, JINGDONG Logistics operates more than 1,600 self-operated warehouses, 2,000 cloud warehouses, and over 130 bonded and overseas facilities across 24 markets, forming a large-scale smart supply chain network.
The Dutch launch is particularly noteworthy given the planned acquisition of CECONOMY, the parent company of MediaMarkt and Saturn. JD.com already controls or has secured commitments for over 70 percent of CECONOMY’s shares and aims to complete the takeover by mid-2026, subject to regulatory approval.
Through JoyExpress, JD.com is building its own European logistics infrastructure, directly aligned with the needs of the electronics retail industry. Fast delivery, white-goods installation, and tighter supply chain control fit seamlessly with MediaMarkt’s core business. This creates an opportunity to further integrate online and offline retail operations, positioning logistics not merely as a support function but as a strategic differentiator in an increasingly competitive European consumer electronics market.
That raises the obvious question: can JoyExpress be more efficient than Amazon or (local player) Bol in Europe? The answer depends on what we mean by efficiency.
1. Vertical Integration as Efficiency Engine
JoyExpress operates a vertically integrated model: warehousing, transportation, last-mile delivery, large-item logistics, cold chain, and cross-border flows are orchestrated within a single system. This reduces coordination costs and minimizes handovers.
Bol works largely as a platform, relying heavily on partners for physical delivery. Amazon operates a hybrid model: significant in-house fulfilment capacity combined with a vast network of Delivery Service Partners. Vertical integration offers control over: inventory positioning, route planning, service levels and returns handling
In theory, fewer intermediaries mean fewer friction losses. In practice, integration only works if volume is sufficient to absorb fixed costs.
2. Automation and Intelligent Warehousing
JD’s logistics model in China is built on high automation, robotics, and data-driven operations. If deployed effectively in Europe, this could reduce: picking cost per order, storage footprint per SKU, order-to-dispatch time, and error rates
Amazon is also heavily automated, but its European fulfilment network contains legacy facilities and higher labour exposure. Bol’s automation footprint is more limited and partially dependent on partner facilities. JoyExpress’s advantage is not automation per se (Amazon is equally sophisticated) but the possibility of building a European network from scratch without legacy constraints.
3. Network Density: The Real Determinant
Logistics efficiency ultimately depends on delivery density. Amazon dominates here. It has scale in almost every major European corridor. High parcel density per route reduces cost per stop and improves first-time delivery success.
JoyExpress starts with more than 60 warehouses and depots across Europe. That is ambitious. But infrastructure without density is expensive. High fixed assets require rapid volume growth. Bol operates efficiently in the Benelux due to geographic concentration. Outside that core market, it is less dominant. Efficiency is not about having warehouses. It is about how many parcels leave them per hour.
4. Large-Item and Integrated Services
One differentiator is JoyExpress’s integrated delivery and installation for large home appliances. That is operationally complex and often subcontracted in Europe. Amazon handles large-item logistics but frequently relies on partners. Bol outsources most of this activity. If JoyExpress manages installation, reverse flows, and customer scheduling within one controlled system, it may achieve higher reliability and lower damage rates. In bulky logistics, control matters.
5. Urban Logistics and Zero-Emission Zones
JoyExpress deploys electric bicycles and urban fleets operating from city depots. In markets like the Netherlands, Germany, and France, where zero-emission zones are slowly expanding, this is strategically aligned. Amazon is growing rapidly but operates at a massive scale. Bol depends on carrier decarbonisation strategies.
Urban logistics efficiency is increasingly determined by regulatory compliance and access rights. Early alignment with low-emission infrastructure can become a competitive advantage.
6. Risk Profile
JoyExpress is asset-heavy. That means: high fixed costs, strong service control, and lower flexibility if volumes fluctuate. Bol is asset-lighter with many Plaza-partners. That offers flexibility but less operational control. Amazon balances both, with enormous scale advantages, but also regulatory and labour complexity in Europe.
The decisive factor will be the speed of market penetration. If Joybuy scales quickly, JoyExpress’s integrated model could achieve strong cost performance in dense metropolitan areas. If growth is slower than expected, fixed infrastructure becomes a burden.
Conclusion
JoyExpress has structural strengths, such as deep vertical integration, advanced automation, and integrated large-item and cold-chain capabilities, including a branded, controlled last mile. Amazon remains stronger in sheer network density and geographic coverage. Bol remains efficient within its concentrated core market due to lower capital intensity.
Efficiency in European logistics is not determined solely by technology. It is determined by volume per square kilometre. JoyExpress has the architecture to be efficient. The question is whether it can achieve the density fast enough to make that architecture pay.
Walther Ploos van Amstel.