Households in Lerwick receiving more parcels than anywhere in UK during lockdown

People living in Lerwick in Shetland have received more deliveries per household during lockdown than anywhere else in the UK, the Royal Mail has revealed.

Central London comes second, while Orkney, Dumfries and Galloway and the Hebrides also make the top ten. The Royal Mail said a survey found that nearly half of UK adults have been receiving more parcel deliveries since lockdown measures began.

Recent Royal Mail research revealed nearly half of UK adults have been receiving more parcel deliveries since lockdown measures began.

The research revealed the emotional significance that the parcel has developed during lockdown, with more than a third claiming receiving a parcel is the highlight of their day. More than half feel that receiving parcels has become more important since 23 March.

The report shows the areas in the UK where residents have received the most deliveries over the course of lockdown so far, based on the number of deliveries per individual address.

Malcolm Bell, councillor for Lerwick and convenor of Shetland Isles Council, said: “I think we have been at the top of these kinds of tables for online shopping for quite some time as we don’t have the chain shops and DIY stores that people can just pop into elsewhere and lockdown has increased that. People have been ordering everything online – white goods and clothing has been a big thing, although there’s nowhere to go to wear new clothes.”

He added: “However, there is a serious side to this as well for our local shops. The downside is that once things do start reopening, are people going to be falling out of the habit of shopping locally?”

Online shopping has increased in popularity during the lockdown as people turn to deliveries for essential – and non-essential – items. Many businesses which previously did not sell products online, such as food companies which mainly sold their produce at farmers’ markets, have turned to online retailing since the lockdown began.

A recent report from the Federation of Small Businesses found that 19 per cent of smaller companies are now offering free home deliveries.

David Gold, director of public affairs and policy at Royal Mail, said: “Having analysed our parcel delivery data across our national network of delivery offices, Lerwick in Scotland has emerged as the UK’S lockdown delivery hotspot. The data shows that during such unprecedented times, parcel delivery is just as important for our rural customers as it is for our city customers.

“We understand the importance of the postal service in keeping the UK connected at this time. In doing so, we also take the health and safety of our colleagues, our customers and the local communities in which we operate very seriously.”

The market for online shopping has also expanded due to the lockdown, with increasing numbers of older consumers shopping online for the first time. Research from Kantar said over 65s spent 94 per cent more on home deliveries this April than they did last year, while a separate report from Mintel found that 37 per cent of over-65s said they have increased the amount of online shopping they do since the outbreak started.

Royal Mail said it has changed its standard ways of working to ensure that, wherever possible, colleagues stay two metres apart. It has also implemented a new rule so that only one person is in a Royal Mail delivery vehicle at any one time.

The findings are based on analysis of items accepted into the Royal Mail network – Tracked 24 and Tracked 48 deliveries – in an average week in the time period between 30 March to 5 May and weighted against the number of delivery points.