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Royal Mail and the Post Office are joining forces to pilot the introduction of parcel lockers at Post Office locations throughout the UK, offering customers the convenience of sending, collecting and returning parcels around the clock.
The half-year trial will involve the placement of lockers outside selected Post Office branches, granting access beyond standard operating hours. These lockers are designed to enhance existing Post Office services, with branches maintaining their full assortment of Royal Mail offerings.
This initiative is part of Royal Mail’s broader strategy to diversify the options available to customers for parcel delivery, collection and returns. The lockers will enable customers to send and return parcels via QR codes, incorporating built-in label printing for those without printer access.
Customers will be required to prepay postage online or request a QR code for item returns.
Royal Mail has stated that these lockers will serve as an additional avenue within its existing network of over 24,000 parcel drop-off and collection points. This network comprises 11,500 Post Office branches, nearly 8,000 Royal Mail outlets, 1,200 Royal Mail Customer Service Points, 1,400 parcel postboxes and approximately 2,400 parcel lockers already in service.
Anna Malley, director of partnerships and acquisitions at Royal Mail, said: “The Post Office is one of Royal Mail’s most important partners, and this is an exciting step forward in how we work together. The trial reflects our commitment to meeting a wide range of customer needs whilst also maintaining existing options.”
Neill O’Sullivan, mails and parcels director at the Post Office, said: “After a 370-year partnership with Royal Mail, we continue to innovate and ensure parcel services meet the needs of customers who want the flexibility of using a locker for their parcel collection and delivery.”
He went on to say that the Post Office would assess the trial’s impact, including advantages for postmasters, throughout the forthcoming months.
