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As it expands its parcel locker network in the UK, Royal Mail is set to roll out its first 250 own-brand parcel lockers over the coming months, to be used exclusively by Royal Mail customers.
The first of these lockers is now live outside the company’s historic Mount Pleasant mail centre in London.
Royal Mail says the parcel 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’.
To begin with, the lockers can be used to print labels and send parcels. However, Royal Mail plans to expand the functionality of the lockers ‘in the near future’, allowing customers to collect parcels as well as sending them.
Jack Clarkson, Royal Mail 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.”
Royal Mail research has revealed a demand for more parcel points, especially amongst younger demographics. 82% of younger millennial living in cities said they wish retailers would offer more click-and-collect options.
Through partnerships, Royal Mail customers can drop off parcels at 1,000 shared lockers and more than 5,000 Collect+ points at convenience stores.
Royal Mail believes that by operating its own parcel lockers, it can ‘improve capacity and customer service, as well as enabling greater control over where they’re rolled out’.
For more on parcel lockers and other trends in last-mile delivery, check out this feature from the December issue of Logistics Manager.
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