Who owns GLS?
GLS is owned by IDS (the United Kingdom).[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: International Distribution Services: Our History. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- International Distribution Services reported
- Owner HQ
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Origin
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands
- Category
- Travel & transport › Parcel & freight logistics
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About GLS
GLS Group (General Logistics Systems B.V.) calls itself an international logistics provider headquartered in Amsterdam, founded in 1999 and a subsidiary of International Distribution Services, covering more than 50 countries. Its site reports about 1,700 depots and agencies and 115 hubs.
Ownership timeline of GLS
Where GLS sits in IDS
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full IDS ownership tree →
See the full IDS brand portfolio (3) →
Other brands owned by IDS
IDS controls 3 brands on Brandtree, 3 of them in travel & transport.
Also in travel & transport
Other brands in parcel & freight logistics, and who owns them
The 221 brands in parcel & freight logistics on Brandtree belong to 181 owners. The largest is Radiant Logistics, with 5; IDS has 3.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Adcom Express | Radiant Logistics | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Forward Air | Forward Air | 🇺🇸 United States |
| ABF Freight | ArcBest | 🇺🇸 United States |
| C.H. Robinson | C.H. Robinson | 🇺🇸 United States |
| FedEx Express | FedEx | 🇺🇸 United States |
| InPost | InPost | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg |
| Wilhelmsen Port Services | Wilh. Wilhelmsen Holding | 🇳🇴 Norway |
| AD Ports Group | AD Ports Group | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates |
About the owner: IDS
IDS is a privately held company headquartered in United Kingdom. Brandtree records 3 brands under its control.
International Distribution Services is the parent company of Royal Mail and GLS. Its history page says it was acquired in 2025 by EP Group, an investment group led by Daniel Kretinsky, who is shown as chair of the board, and its investor page says the materials date from when the company was publicly listed. Its results for the year to 29 March 2026 report group revenue of 13.6 billion pounds, of which Royal Mail was 8.4 billion and GLS 5.2 billion; the stake EP Group holds is not stated in the pages opened.
🇳🇱 GLS and other Dutch brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 61 brands that began in the Netherlands. 34 of them (56%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, GLS among them.
- EBS — Egged 🇮🇱
- KLM Cityhopper — Air France-KLM 🇫🇷
- Q-Park — Q-Park 🇳🇱
- TUI fly Netherlands — TUI 🇩🇪
- 4PS — Hilti 🇱🇮
- Albert Heijn — Ahold Delhaize 🇳🇱
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of GLS?
The parent company of GLS is IDS, a privately held company headquartered in the United Kingdom.
Is GLS Dutch or British?
GLS originated in the Netherlands, but it is owned today by IDS, which is headquartered in the United Kingdom. So GLS is a Dutch-origin brand under British ownership.
Is GLS still owned by IDS?
Yes. As of 5 October 2026, GLS is still owned by IDS. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] International Distribution Services: Our History — International Distribution Services, Official document; retrieved 5 October 2026.
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