DHL Group Starts 2025 with Revenue and Profit Growth

The logistics company DHL Group has started 2025 with a slight growth in revenue and profit. In the first quarter, the Group’s revenue amounted to €20.81 billion, representing a growth of 2.8 percent compared to the same period last year.

– The economic environment in the first quarter of 2025 was marked by U.S. customs and trade policy and general economic caution. Nevertheless, we continued the positive trend from previous quarters with a slight growth in revenue and profit. This is a result of our consistent management of costs and yields. At the same time, we continue to invest in fast-growing business areas and are working on structurally improving our efficiency – said Tobias Meyer, CEO of DHL Group.

In the first quarter of 2025, DHL Group’s gross capital expenditures (capex) amounted to €461 million. Effective management of costs and revenues, as well as control of capital expenditures, contributed to an increase in free cash flow (excluding M&A) of 17.4 percent, to €732 million.

Overall, DHL Group achieved a consolidated net profit after minority interests of €786 million in the first quarter of 2025, an increase of 6.2 percent compared to the first quarter of last year. The basic earnings per share amounted to €0.68, which is five cents higher than in the first quarter of last year.

Focus on Quality, Growth, and Efficiency

In March 2025, the Management announced a Group-wide program called ‘Fit for Growth‘ aimed at supporting the Group’s growth. This program is part of the 2030 Strategy and aims to make the company more agile and efficient. ‘Fit for Growth’ includes numerous measures across all business units and aims to structurally improve DHL Group’s cost base by more than €1 billion, with full effect expected in the financial year 2027.

As part of the 2030 Strategy, DHL Group is particularly investing in the quality of its services and in regions and sectors with above-average growth potential. This includes logistics markets for life sciences & healthcare and new energy sources, as well as e-commerce and sustainable transport. For example, DHL Group has launched the brand ‘DHL Health Logistics’ and plans to invest around €2 billion in this strategic initiative by 2030. This investment aims to expand DHL Group’s capacities in the field of life sciences & healthcare to meet the growing demand in the pharmaceutical industry, for medical devices, and in segments such as clinical trials, biopharmaceuticals, and cell and gene therapies.

Forecast Remains Unchanged

DHL Group continues to expect a cautious macroeconomic environment. A positive contribution to profit development is expected from cost reduction measures. Based on these assumptions, the forecast remains unchanged: DHL Group continues to expect an operating profit of at least €6 billion and free cash flow (excluding M&A) of approximately €3 billion for the fiscal year 2025. This forecast does not include potential impacts from changes in tariff or trade policy, as such changes could have significant negative, but also positive effects for DHL Group.