Bloq.it, the smart locker company providing end-to-end services for out-of-home delivery and e-commerce businesses, has signed a multi-year partnership with the parcel delivery service Evri, the UK’s premier parcel delivery company.
The companies are collaborating to boost Evri’s nationwide OOH network by installing Bloq.it’s NEXT smart lockers with integrated returns functionality and its new standalone returns solution, drop, in hundreds of locations around the country. The first rollout is scheduled for March 2026, beginning in East of England Co-op locations.
As online shopping and returns volumes continue to grow, reverse logistics have become a major consideration for parcel carriers. The rate of returns more than doubled between 2019 and 2025, and UK consumers returned £4.2 billion in merchandise from ecommerce retailers in 2023 alone – highlighting the need for out-of-home infrastructure that supports faster and more convenient returns.
drop is Bloq.it’s dedicated returns solution, designed to operate either as a modular component within NEXT smart lockers or as a standalone unit in locations with high returns volumes. The locker compartment sizing is optimised for Evri’s parcel volume mix. Each drop device has a built-in label printer, a QR and barcode reader, and the same end-to-end maintenance and servicing support of the NEXT lockers.
Miha Jagodic, CEO of Bloq.it, said: “Our recently launched drop devices bridge the gap between consumers and locations for drop-offs, just as our NEXT lockers do for parcel pick-up. The drop promise is all about the user convenience. A major logistics company like Evri choosing to deploy these devices is an enormous vote of confidence in our technology and is part of our UK market consolidation efforts. Evri understands that dedicated returns infrastructure is essential to a modern and hybrid OOH network, whether as a standalone or part of a larger integrated parcel station. The combination of NEXT and drop is the basis of this network, and we’re proud to provide it.”
Liam Rogan, head of out of home at Evri, said: “We have an ambitious plan to significantly expand our ParcelShop and Locker network, and are committed to offering greater delivery choices for the consumers, retail clients, and businesses that we serve. This major multi-million-pound investment will establish one of the UK’s largest pick-up, drop-off networks in the UK. Our expanding network of locations is shaping the future of parcel delivery in the UK with smart technology and greater accessibility, and Bloq.it is a great partner to help scale it.”
With drop, it takes just seconds to return a parcel, meaning users don’t need to wait in line to hand over return packages for manual processing. Evri couriers can then collect all the return parcels at once, consolidating dozens of pick-ups into a single stop. Bloq.it’s NEXT lockers simplify the other critical process in the parcel lifecycle: its pick-up. Retrieving a package takes fewer than 30 seconds using the touchscreen display and barcode reader. For business owners, this combination significantly declutters the physical pick-up/drop-off space and increases foot traffic while cutting lines.
Not all parcel pick-up and drop-off locations have the same level of foot traffic, parcel volume, and proportion of drop-offs versus pick-ups. This modular approach allows Evri to deploy the right infrastructure for each location, balancing deliveries and returns while scaling efficiently nationwide.
The Evri and Bloq.it partnership increases accessibility by enabling deployment across hundreds of locations previously considered out of reach, while optimising reverse logistics at each site. The rollout supports both companies’ long-term ambition to strengthen the UK’s out-of-home parcel infrastructure as consumer demand continues to grow.
