Royal Mail has launched a new partnership with global parcel locker operator Quadient, providing customers with more choice to make sending and receiving parcels as convenient as possible. The partnership means Royal Mail customers will have access to parcel lockers for the first time.
The first lockers will launch in Coventry in April, with further locations opening in the following months. Around 1,500 are expected by the end of the year, with further plans for 3,000 across the UK. The lockers will initially allow customers to drop off returns and pre-paid parcels before being expanded so that customers can have items delivered to the lockers for pick up.
The launch is an important part of Royal Mail’s strategy to continue to make sending and receiving parcels as convenient as possible by adding more choice. The partnership with Quadient adds to the recent announcement that Royal Mail customers will be able to use up to 5,000 Collect+ stores to drop off and collect parcels. Together, this will increase the number of locations where customers can drop off parcels to more than 21,000, including 3,000 lockers, 11,500 Post Office branches, 5,000 Collect+ stores, 1,200 Royal Mail Customer Service Points and 1,200 parcel postboxes.
There is increasing demand from customers for convenient ways to drop off parcels, with around 50% of all Royal Mail non-account sales now online. Locations such as convenience stores and lockers have become amongst the most common places people choose to have parcels delivered outside their home. *
Martin Seidenberg, group chief executive, said: “Our expansion into lockers with 24/7 access will give our customers even greater choice of more than 21,000 locations to drop off parcels. We want to make it as convenient as possible for customers to send and return parcels, fitting it in around their daily routines with a range of options for different lifestyles.
“We are continually finding new ways to improve our services, including more online postage options through our website and app, 24/7 drop off at locations like our parcel postboxes, use of Collect+ stores and Post Offices, and collection from home through Royal Mail Parcel Collect.”
Geoffrey Godet, chief executive officer of Quadient, said: “We are honoured by Royal Mail’s trust in our solution, including our award-winning drop box locker, and our business model. We take pride in seeing how quickly our open locker network has grown since we first announced it in the summer of 2022.
“The strategic partnerships in place are a testament to the success of our agnostic approach, addressing the needs of UK carriers and consumers as we serve one of the largest e-commerce markets in the world. Now partnering with the market leader for parcel delivery, we are more confident than ever that customer adoption and usage of our lockers will continue to accelerate, as more locations are installed, and more services are enabled.”
*According to the IMRG 2022/23 Home Delivery Review
