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Royal Mail is set to revolutionise its iconic postbox design with the rollout of 3,500 solar-powered “postboxes of the future” across the UK.
These innovative units feature a digitally activated drop-down drawer, specifically designed to accommodate parcels as large as a shoebox.
Heralding the biggest transformation to the postbox in its 175-year history, the new design was trialled earlier this year in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire.
The rollout will now extend to major cities including Edinburgh, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield, and Sunderland.
Customers will be able to scan a barcode via the Royal Mail app to activate the drawer, which is intended for items too large for a traditional letter slot.
The redesigned boxes also retain a separate opening for standard letters and are equipped with a solar panel to power the scanner and drawer mechanism.
Proof of posting and parcel tracking will be available through the Royal Mail app, with the service primarily targeting individuals sending or returning items purchased online.
Jack Clarkson, managing director of out-of-home and commercial excellence at Royal Mail, said: “We are all sending and returning more parcels than ever before.
“This trend will only continue as online shopping shows no signs of slowing, particularly with the boom of second-hand marketplaces.
“There are 115,000 postboxes in the UK located within half a mile of 98% of addresses, making them by far the most convenient network of parcel drop-off points in the UK.
“Our message is clear, if you have a Royal Mail label on your parcel, and it fits, put it in a postbox and we’ll do the rest.”
Royal Mail said the rollout is part of its drive to make posting, collecting and returning parcels as convenient as possible.
Alongside its home delivery and collection services, the company said there are now more than 23,500 parcel points across the UK, including lockers, Collect+ stores, Post Office branches, Royal Mail customer service points and existing parcel postboxes.
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