Parcel delivery startup Gofo Express on Friday opened its first U.S. super hub in Newark, New Jersey. A second large sortation center is scheduled to begin operating later this quarter in Los Angeles marking the company’s transition from a regional to a national courier.
Spanning more than 400,000 square feet, Newark is Gofo’s largest and most advanced U.S. facility. Equipped with cross-belt and narrow-belt sorters, robotic automation, and an intelligent logistics system, the hub processes more than 40,000 parcels per hour and can handle more than 700,000 parcels daily, the company said in a news release on Monday.
Fast-growing Gofo last month announced plans to invest $150 million in the two e-commerce distribution centers, giving it the infrastructure for middle-mile shipping and last-mile delivery of retailers’ e-commerce orders — and ensuring ample capacity for peak season surges. Funding covers long-term leases and facility upgrades, installation of advanced sorting technology and robotics systems, IT and data infrastructure enhancements, workforce recruitment, partner development and other launch activities, spokesman Tyler Dong said in an email exchange.
Gofo, headquartered in Los Angeles, is among a slew of independent last-mile logistics providers that cropped up after the pandemic e-commerce boom offering lower prices than FedEx and UPS, and powered by technology platforms for easily integrating with customers, dispatching drivers and optimizing route selection.
Gofo was founded in 2023 by Chuan Zhen, a U.S. citizen of Chinese heritage with extensive experience in logistics and cross-border e-commerce, who previously formed a company called Ebisu.
A significant share of historical volume has come from e-commerce merchants linked to China, but the U.S. business is rapidly expanding its presence among North American retailers and smaller online sellers. International parcels are customs cleared by partner companies, but the majority of shipments originate from U.S. domestic warehouses. The courier’s operations, leadership and decision-making are centered in the United States, according to the company, Dong said.
Gofo has rapidly expanded its logistics foundation across the United States with nearly 100 hubs and stations supported by more than 30 linehaul routes. It currently has more than 1,000 full-time employees and uses delivery service partners to provide physical last-mile delivery. The company has yet to provide details about its driver pool.
The network now enables Gofo to serve 8,000 zip codes, equivalent to 70% of the U.S. population, including Hawaii and Puerto Rico. By the end of 2025, the company expects to reach 10,000 zip codes, enabling 75% of client parcels to be delivered through its own network.
