Royal Mail set to launch second daily parcel delivery
The Royal Mail is to start a second parcel delivery per day in response to the growing demand for online shopping and deliveries.
The company said it needed to introduce the second service to be able to deliver “next day” parcels, ordered by customers from retailers the evening before.
It said it will also collect returns from customers at their home, including both consumers making returns and small marketplace sellers on platforms such as ebay fulfilling sales.
The company ditched its long standing“second post” delivery in 2002, saying it needed to improve efficiency.
The news comes two days after the postal firm revealed plans to roll out its parcel postboxes–where consumers can send parcels in the same way as they do letters after pre -paying postage – across the UK. The rollout, the first major change of use for the postbox since they were first introduced in the 1800s, follows the trial of 30 postboxes in Northampton and Leicester last year.
A statement from Royal Mail said: “As part of the plan, the company is introducing a second deliver y for parcels that will expand in line with demand and be fully operational by 2023. This second delivery will consist of next day parcels, typically purchased online from retailers the evening before, and larger items more appropriate for van delivery. In many cases, the delivery will be less than 24 hours after the order is made.
It added :“Customers will continue to receive a delivery of letters and all other parcels earlier in the day via Royal Mail’s network of postmen and women.”
Royal Mail’s analysis indicates that Next Day parcels are expected to significantly out pace growth in other delivery time categories, with smartphone “night shopping” increasing by 33 percent in just one year.
Chief executive Rico Back said :“At the heart of our refreshed strategy is a UK ‘turnaround and grow’ pro-gram me. In 2018-19, after a challenging year, we delivered productivity improvements and cost avoidance in line with our revised expectations.
“Over the next five years, through a focus on new ways of working and extending our network, we will ensure a contemporary UK universal service.”
The company said that the separate processing and delivery of “next day” and larger items would generate a reduction in the cost of handling parcels, including small items, as well as making it easier for postmen and women to deliver their usual round as heavy, bulky items will no longer be in their mailbag.
In order to achieve the second daily delivery, three new fully-automated parcel hubs will be built around the UK.