Royal Mail has launched its own lockers as part of its strategy to rapidly expand its number of parcel points to meet growing demand from online shoppers and marketplace sellers.
The first 250 lockers which can be used exclusively by Royal Mail customers will be rolled out in early 2025, with the first now live outside the company’s historic Mount Pleasant mail centre in London.
The lockers will provide 24/7 access in convenient, high footfall locations, which will include spaces outside of Royal Mail’s delivery offices plus third-party retailers.
Initially, the lockers will offer a parcel sending service including label printing, to support the increasing number of people selling clothing and other items on secondhand marketplaces, as well as traditional online shoppers sending returns. Customers will also be able to collect their parcels from Royal Mail lockers in the near future.
Royal Mail began a major expansion of its parcel points earlier this year to offer customers more choice as parcel demand continues to grow, as part of a wider programme of modernisation.
Through partnerships, Royal Mail customers can drop off parcels at 1,000 shared lockers and more than 5,000 Collect+ points convenience stores.
The launch of Royal Mail’s own lockers is the first time the company is providing access to dedicated lockers available only for its customers, which will improve capacity and customer service as well as enabling greater control over where they’re rolled out.
Research by Royal Mail reveals there is clear demand for more parcel points, especially among younger audiences and those in urban environments. Among younger millennials living in cities, 82 per cent* said they wanted retailers to offer more click and collect options.
Jack Clarkson, group strategy and transformation director, said: “With continued growth in online shopping, we are expanding our range of services for customers to make sending and receiving parcels more convenient than ever.
“Parcel Lockers are just one of the ways that we will achieve this, and with their growth in popularity, it is important that we have our own lockers to offer a modern, quick and convenient option for our customers. The roll out of Royal Mail lockers is good news for online shoppers, small businesses sending their orders and the UK public in general.”
