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Royal Mail is set to introduce a big change that will make sending and receiving parcels easier for customers in 1,500 areas across the UK. Starting next month, Royal Mail will offer parcel lockers for the first time.
At first, these lockers will be used for dropping off returns and pre-paid parcels, but plans are in place to expand this service to include customer collections as well. This new feature is part of a partnership between Royal Mail and global parcel locker operator Quadient, aiming to provide more options for customers and make the process “as convenient as possible”.
The first of these lockers will appear in Coventry in April, with a nationwide roll-out planned; it’s expected that there will be 1,500 lockers by the end of the year, and future plans aim for 3,000 across the UK. This collaboration with Quadient follows the recent news that Royal Mail customers will also be able to use up to 5,000 Collect+ stores for dropping off and collecting parcels.
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With these changes, the number of places where customers can drop off parcels will increase to over 21,000. This includes 3,000 lockers, 11,500 Post Office branches, 5,000 Collect+ stores, 1,200 Royal Mail Customer Service Points, and 1,200 parcel postboxes, reports the Express.
There has been a growing demand for more convenient ways to drop off parcels, with about half of all non-account sales from Royal Mail now being made online. According to the IMRG Home Delivery Review, locations like convenience stores and lockers have become some of the most popular places for people to have their parcels delivered when they’re not at home.
Martin Seidenberg, group chief executive, said: “Our expansion into lockers with 24/7 access will give our customers an 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.
(Image: Getty)
“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, commented: “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.
He continued: “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.”
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