3 minute read
Parcels
by 55 North
COVER STORY: POST OFFICE / DPD
Pass the Parcel
The Post Office has signed an historic new deal with parcel carrier DPD, the first time it has worked with external carriers in 360 years.
The Post Office has signed a deal with DPD which will see parcels delivered directly to its branches, opening its network to external carriers for the first time in its 360-year history.
Previously the Post Office only had an agreement with Royal Mail Group for parcel collections directly at its branches.
The click-and-collect service will initially be available at around 250 Post Offices this month before rolling-out to around 1,500 branches UK-wide ahead of the peak Christmas period.
Customers making a purchase online will be able to choose their local post office as the collection point for their parcels. DPD will deliver parcels directly to branches and postmasters will process customer collections at the counter.
Customer convenience
Nick Read, boss of the Post Office, said: “Combining the biggest physical retail network with one of the Europe’s best-known logistical carriers provides greater customer convenience, footfall for postmasters and helps people back to the high street as Covid-19 restrictions ease.
“I’m delighted that through our partnership with DPD, customers can select their local post office to collect their parcels and know that they are often open longer hours, staffed by a knowledgeable postmaster and located moments from where they live.”
Elaine Kerr, DPD Chief Executive, added: “This is a significant, long-term partnership between two brand leaders in the parcel industry and comes at a time when the convenience of online shopping and delivery is more valued than ever. It is great news for DPD parcel customers and for Post Office branches too. Our aim is always to get parcels delivered safely, on time, and provide recipients with as much choice as possible. This partnership enables us to offer more options at the point of purchase, while the parcel is in-flight and, on those occasions, when we can’t leave a parcel safely.”
The news comes weeks after Hermes unveiled a new partnership with Tesco to provide ParcelShop services across its convenience estate nationwide from 6 September.
The Post Office and DPD said the deal will also reduce the environmental impact of having vans making multiple stops to drop off parcels.
DPD Group has conducted a review of the last mile delivery and the impact of click-an-collect on the environment. Its studies have established that there is a reduction of, on average, 63% of greenhouse gases in the last mile delivery when using the DPD Pickup network.
Read added: “As a society, we are increasingly considering the environmental impact of our activities. This will mean ensuring the last mile of delivery is ‘carbon free’. Our physical network of branches helps make this a reality, encouraging people to walk or cycle to their local post office to collect their parcels.”
Green initiatives
In recent months DPD has unveiled a string of green initiatives including the roll-out of a major new air quality monitoring programme across six of the biggest cities in the UK and the pledge to deliver by only all-electric vehicles in 25 of the largest towns and cities in the UK by 2025. DPD currently has more than 1,000 electric vehicles on the road, expected to rise to over 1,700 by the end of the year.
Kerr said: “Our sustainability strategy is based on looking at every single aspect or our operation and challenging ourselves to make it more efficient by reducing emissions and miles, improving the service for customers at the same time.
Having the option to deliver to post offices helps us achieve that. DPD will provide all-electric delivery to 10 major towns and cities by the end of this year and 25 locations by 2025. With that and recipients having the option to walk to their local post office to collect a missed parcel, the vision of a carbon-free ‘last mile’ is becoming a reality.”
