UPS has acquired a European company that maintains a network of delivery locations in five countries, providing options for customers who buy items online to pick them up in more than 6,500 retail locations.
Kiala, based in Belgium, also has operations in France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Spain.
UPS spokesman Norman Black said in some European countries, it is considered bad form to ask a neighbor to accept a package, or for a delivery to be left on a customer's doorstep. The Kiala acquisition will give European online shoppers more options for where their purchases will be delivered, he said.
Kiala's president will stay on with the company, and Black said he expects the service to continue expanding into other countries.
"We're devising and looking for new answers in this space," Black said of e-commerce. "We need to be a leader in supporting this type of economic growth."
UPS did not disclose the terms of the deal.