Multi-country fulfilment coordination

What the coordination covers

Multi-country fulfilment coordination is the workstream that takes a single purchase order from the buyer and dispatches the items to recipients in multiple destinations — typically across the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Germany and Austria. In the B2B merch market this workstream is common for buyers that have a regional head office in Prague with country offices in Bratislava, Warsaw, Berlin and Vienna, and want a single point of contact for the entire regional programme.

The brief captures the recipient list with the addresses across the destinations, the country-specific sizes, the country-specific personalisation rules and the country-specific delivery windows. The supplier runs a country profile at first-time destinations and a recurring-destination profile at repeat destinations — measuring the carrier availability, the customs requirements, the local VAT treatment and the local data-protection rules. The supplier assigns a coordinator to each destination at the brief stage and confirms the assignment in writing.

Single PO across the destinations — the supplier issues one master PO and one master invoice (in CZK or EUR depending on the buyer's preference) for the entire programme. The supplier breaks down the master PO into per-destination dispatch orders and issues per-destination dispatch confirmations. The supplier consolidates the per-destination dispatches into a single dispatch board that the buyer's procurement lead can view in real time.

Country-specific destination profiles

Czech Republic — domestic dispatch from the Prague Hostivař warehouse with PPL, Zásilkovna, Česká pošta, GLS Česko and DHL Česko. DPH 21% on the master invoice in CZK. Daily carrier pickup and a 24-48 hour domestic delivery window. Pickup in Prague and Brno can be arranged for in-stock items.

Slovakia — dispatch from the Prague Hostivař warehouse (with a contracted Slovak carrier for the border crossing) or from the Bratislava partner warehouse (for items staged there in advance). Slovak Post, GLS Slovakia, Packeta Slovakia (Zásilkovna SK) and DHL Slovakia are the contracted carriers. DPH 20% on the Slovak delivery with EU reverse-charge under § 64 ZDPH applied at the master invoice level. Daily carrier pickup from the Bratislava warehouse and a 24-48 hour Slovak delivery window.

Poland — dispatch from the Prague Hostivař warehouse with a contracted Polish carrier for the border crossing, or via the supplier's partner warehouse in Warsaw for items staged there. InPost Paczkomaty, Poczta Polska, GLS Poland, DHL Poland and DPD Poland are the contracted carriers. DPH 23% (VAT) on the Polish delivery with EU reverse-charge applied at the master invoice level. Daily carrier pickup and a 48-72 hour Polish delivery window.

Germany — dispatch from the Prague Hostivař warehouse with DHL or GLS EuroBusiness. Deutsche Post, DHL Paket, GLS Germany, Hermes and DPD Germany are the contracted carriers. DPH 19% (Umsatzsteuer) on the German delivery with EU reverse-charge applied at the master invoice level. Daily carrier pickup and a 48-72 hour German delivery window.

Austria — dispatch from the Prague Hostivař warehouse with DHL or GLS EuroBusiness. Österreichische Post, GLS Austria, DPD Austria and DHL Austria are the contracted carriers. DPH 20% (Umsatzsteuer) on the Austrian delivery with EU reverse-charge applied at the master invoice level. Daily carrier pickup and a 48-72 hour Austrian delivery window.

Customs and VAT treatment

Customs treatment follows the EU Union Customs Code (UCC) for cross-border shipments. For shipments within the EU customs union (Czech, Slovak, Polish, German and Austrian destinations) no customs declaration is required. The supplier files the recapitulative EC Sales List with the Financial Authority of the Czech Republic each month with the per-destination totals. The supplier retains the recapitulative documentation for the legal retention window.

VAT treatment follows EU Regulation 282/2011 on the place of supply. For B2B supplies of goods the place of supply is the Member State where the customer is identified. The supplier applies EU reverse-charge under § 64 ZDPH at the master invoice level and notes that the VAT is reverse-charged to the buyer. The supplier verifies the Vies record before each invoice is issued. The verification is documented in the Vies verification log.

For non-EU destinations the supplier files the export customs declaration with the Czech Customs Authority. The supplier holds an AEOB (Authorised Economic Operator — Customs) status, which simplifies the customs handling and reduces the customs clearance window. EUR.1 movement certificates are issued by the supplier on shipments with preferential origin. The supplier retains the export documentation for the legal retention window.

Currency and invoicing

The supplier issues the master invoice in CZK or EUR depending on the buyer's preference. For buyers with a CZK bank account the supplier issues the master invoice in CZK with the EUR equivalent at the CNB (Czech National Bank) daily rate. For buyers with a EUR bank account the supplier issues the master invoice in EUR with the CZK equivalent at the CNB daily rate. The supplier does not charge a conversion fee on the dual-currency invoice.

Payment terms are 30 days from invoice date for buyers with an established credit history. New buyers are asked for a 50% deposit on order confirmation and the 50% balance before dispatch. EUR / CZK dual invoicing is available for buyers that have both CZK and EUR bank accounts. The supplier does not run discount codes or promo codes on multi-country programmes; volume discounts are negotiated at the framework level and reflected in the per-unit price.

ISDOC format is mandatory for Czech B2B invoices from January 2025. The supplier issues the master invoice in ISDOC format with the per-destination totals broken down. The supplier emails the ISDOC invoice to the buyer's data box (datová schránka) when one is registered, or to the ERP ingestion endpoint. The supplier integrates with SAP, Pohoda, Money S3 and ABRA on the buyer side.

Czech and EU regulatory context

Czech and EU regulatory context is a core part of the multi-country fulfilment workstream. DPH 21% on the master invoice in CZK. EU reverse-charge under § 64 ZDPH for Vies-registered EU buyers. Recapitulative EC Sales List filed by the supplier monthly with the Financial Authority of the Czech Republic. ISDOC format mandatory for Czech B2B invoices from January 2025. EU Union Customs Code (UCC) compliance for cross-border shipments. Czech Act 242/2016 Coll. compliance for customs.

GDPR compliance follows EU Regulation 2016/679 and the local data-protection laws of each destination country. The supplier signs a data processing agreement with the buyer that covers the recipient data across all destinations. The supplier processes the recipient data only on documented instructions and holds the data for the legal retention window of the destination country. The supplier does not market to the recipient list and does not share the recipient list with third parties.

Logistics & distribution

The Prague Hostivař warehouse is the hub for multi-country fulfilment coordination. The warehouse is 4,200 square metres with a 1,800-square-metre bonded area, a 600-square-metre staging area and a 1,800-square-metre general-storage area. The warehouse holds daily carrier windows with PPL, Zásilkovna, Česká pošta, GLS Česko and DHL Česko for domestic Czech delivery and with DHL, GLS EuroBusiness and Geis for EU cross-border delivery.

The Bratislava partner warehouse is a 1,000-square-metre staging hub for Slovakia. The warehouse holds daily Slovak Post, GLS Slovakia, Packeta Slovakia and DHL Slovakia windows. The warehouse holds a 24-48 hour dispatch window to all Slovak postal codes. The warehouse is operated by a contracted partner under the supplier's WMS.

For Polish, German and Austrian destinations the supplier dispatches directly from the Hostivař warehouse with a contracted cross-border carrier (DHL EuroBusiness, GLS EuroBusiness or Geis) and a 48-72 hour delivery window. For high-volume destinations the supplier can stage inventory at a contracted partner warehouse in Warsaw, Berlin or Vienna; the staging is agreed at the framework agreement.

Pricing and MOQ

Multi-country fulfilment coordination is priced per destination per shipment with a tier structure that reflects the programme's annual volume. Tier 1 (1-4 destinations annually) is priced at the standard per-destination rate. Tier 2 (5-9 destinations annually) earns a 5% volume discount. Tier 3 (10+ destinations annually) earns a 10% volume discount and includes a free coordinator at the supplier's Prague head office.

Per-destination costs cover the inbound to the Hostivař warehouse, the kit assembly, the dispatch, the carrier cost and the per-destination customs documentation. The costs are quoted per destination per shipment at the framework agreement. MOQ on the multi-country fulfilment service is 100 units per destination per shipment.

Cross-border carrier costs are quoted at the framework level with the contracted rate card. The carrier costs vary by destination (Slovakia is closer and cheaper than Germany or Austria) and by service level (express vs economy). The supplier recommends the carrier at the brief stage based on the destination, the window and the budget.

Roles & responsibilities

The supplier-side team is built around five named owners — programme manager, account lead, country coordinators, customs lead and finance lead. The programme manager owns the master brief, the change-control log, the master schedule and the quarterly review. The account lead owns day-to-day communication in Czech or English; the single point of contact for the buyer's procurement and communications teams. The country coordinators own the per-destination dispatch, the local carrier selection and the local recipient list.

The customs lead owns the AEOB status, the EUR.1 movement certificates, the customs declarations and the recapitulative EC Sales List. The finance lead owns the ISDOC formatting, the EUR / CZK dual invoicing, the Vies verification and the payment terms. The supplier runs a kickoff workshop with all buyer-side owners in week one and a recurring monthly check-in with the procurement lead.

Case studies

Škoda Auto — 27,000 apparel items across Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany and Austria for the regional onboarding programme. The supplier issued a single master PO with per-destination dispatch orders. The supplier dispatched from the Hostivař warehouse and the Bratislava partner warehouse. The supplier filed the recapitulative EC Sales List with the Financial Authority of the Czech Republic. Certificates: OEKO-TEX Standard 100, GOTS on the cotton mix, REACH SVHC declaration. DPH treatment: 21% on the Czech delivery and EU reverse-charge on the Slovak, German and Austrian deliveries.

ČEZ — 8,000 insulated bottles and 6,000 notebooks across Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland for the regional partner recognition programme. The supplier issued a single master PO with per-destination dispatch orders. Certificates: OEKO-TEX Standard 100, RoHS on the electronics, REACH SVHC declaration. DPH treatment: 21% on the Czech delivery, EU reverse-charge on the Slovak and Polish deliveries.

Kofola — 12,000 cotton tote bags across Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria for the regional summer brand campaign. The supplier dispatched from the Hostivař warehouse with Zásilkovna pickup-point delivery across the destinations. Certificates: GOTS on the organic cotton, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, FSC on the carton. DPH treatment: 21% on the Czech delivery, EU reverse-charge on the Slovak and Austrian deliveries.

Recapitulative EC Sales List

The recapitulative EC Sales List is a mandatory declaration that the supplier files with the Financial Authority of the Czech Republic each month. The list covers the cross-border transactions with the per-destination totals (Czech, Slovak, Polish, German, Austrian), the buyer's Vies registration number, the invoice reference, the invoice date, the invoice currency and the invoice value in CZK.

The supplier files the recapitulative list via the Czech Financial Authority's electronic portal (Daňový portál) by the 25th day of the month following the transaction month. The supplier retains the recapitulative documentation for the legal retention window (10 years under Czech Act 563/1991 Coll. on Accounting). The supplier provides a copy of the recapitulative list to the buyer's finance lead on request.

The supplier holds a separate recapitulative policy for non-EU destinations. For non-EU destinations the supplier files the export customs declaration with the Czech Customs Authority. The supplier retains the export documentation for the legal retention window. The supplier does not file a recapitulative EC Sales List entry for non-EU destinations; the entry is filed with the export customs declaration instead.

Cross-border carrier strategy

The cross-border carrier strategy is built around three families — Czech domestic parcel carriers for Czech destinations, EU cross-border carriers for Slovak, Polish, German and Austrian destinations, and dedicated country partners for high-volume destinations. The supplier selects the carrier at the brief stage based on the destination, the window, the volume and the budget.

For Czech destinations the supplier uses PPL, Zásilkovna, Česká pošta, GLS Česko and DHL Česko. PPL is the workhorse domestic carrier with a 24-48 hour window. Zásilkovna is the pickup-point carrier with 5,000+ pickup points. GLS Česko is the B2B carrier with tracked signature. Česká pošta is the universal postal carrier with the widest coverage. DHL Česko is the express carrier for time-sensitive shipments.

For EU destinations the supplier uses DHL, GLS EuroBusiness and Geis. DHL EuroBusiness is the express carrier with a 24-hour window to Berlin, Vienna and Warsaw. GLS EuroBusiness is the standard cross-border carrier with a 48-72 hour window. Geis is the road-freight carrier for pallet shipments with a 3-5 day window to the EU destinations.

For high-volume destinations the supplier uses dedicated country partners — Slovak Post, GLS Slovakia, Packeta Slovakia for Slovakia; InPost Paczkomaty, Poczta Polska, GLS Poland, DPD Poland for Poland; Deutsche Post, DHL Paket, GLS Germany, Hermes for Germany; Österreichische Post, GLS Austria, DPD Austria for Austria. The dedicated country partners integrate with the supplier's WMS for the per-destination dispatch confirmation.

Master invoice and per-destination breakdown

The master invoice is issued in CZK or EUR with the per-destination totals broken down. The breakdown covers the per-destination SKU list, the per-destination count, the per-destination unit price, the per-destination subtotal, the per-destination VAT treatment (Czech 21% or EU reverse-charge) and the per-destination dispatch reference. The breakdown is generated by the supplier's ERP and attached to the master invoice as a PDF attachment.

The supplier issues the master invoice in ISDOC format for Czech B2B clients (mandatory from January 2025). The supplier emails the ISDOC invoice to the buyer's data box (datová schránka) when one is registered, or to the ERP ingestion endpoint. The supplier integrates with SAP, Pohoda, Money S3 and ABRA on the buyer side. The supplier retains the master invoice and the per-destination breakdown for the legal retention window.

The supplier issues a credit note on request when the buyer identifies an over-charge, a duplicate invoice or a returned item. The credit note is in the same currency and format as the master invoice. The credit note is referenced in the next recapitulative EC Sales List entry. The supplier does not run discount codes or promo codes on the credit note; the credit note is at the original invoice price.

Compliance and certificates

AEOB (Authorised Economic Operator — Customs) status under EU Customs Code. EUR.1 movement certificates for preferential origin. CMR for pan-EU certifications. OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certificate (class I or II) on skin-contact textiles. GOTS certification for organic cotton. GRS for recycled polyester with minimum 20% recycled content. FSC on paper and packaging. REACH SVHC declaration on chemicals. RoHS on electronics. Pantone Coated / Uncoated matching with Delta-E tolerance ≤ 2.5 on cotton.

GDPR compliance under EU Regulation 2016/679 and the local data-protection laws of each destination country (Czech Personal Data Protection Act 110/2019 Coll., Slovak Act 18/2018 Coll., Polish Act UODO, German BDSG, Austrian DSG). Anti-bribery compliance under Czech Act 139/2023 Coll. and EU Anti-Corruption Directive. The supplier signs an annual anti-bribery declaration with the buyer and maintains an internal anti-bribery policy.