Four big contracts for the post Office. This is the fourth contract that the Post Office has secured with a big carrier since ending its exclusive parcel handling relationship with Royal Mail in March 2021 and the first to offer in-branch sales of additional products.
Since then Post Office has struck deals with Amazon, DPD, DHL Express, for ‘Click and Collect’ services and now Evri with their products being sold in-branch. The agreements are a continued demonstration of Post Office’s strategy to open its network to external carriers in order to compete in the fast-growing parcels market and drive footfall for Postmasters.
Martijn De Lange, CEO of Evri, said:
Our ParcelShops are key in our commitment to offering consumers both convenience and choice, enabling them to send, return and collect parcels at a time and place that suits them. These new locations will complement our existing nationwide network of 10,000+ locations and give Post Office customers a new fast, reliable and cost-effective way to send and receive their parcels. We are excited as to where our partnership might lead moving forward.
It’s in the post: Evri to launch in-branch sales at Post Office
Evri, announced a landmark partnership this week with the Post Office which will see consumers able to send, collect and return Evri parcels over the counter in over 2,000 Post Office branches this Christmas season and beyond. Consumers will be able to pick up and drop off parcels destined for the UK or over 220 international destinations, and for the first time, Evri customers will be able to hand a parcel directly to a Post Office team member to enter address details and apply a label, rather than using a self-service device – which will enhance the customer experience make Evri services accessible to people who are unable to use the self-service devices.This follows a trial of in-branch sales, parcel pick-ups and drop-offs which launched in 2022 at 50 Post Office branches. For the first time in its 360-year history, Post Office directly sold end-to-end delivery services fulfilled by Evri rather than exclusively Royal Mail. A year later, on the back of a successful trial, Evri and Post Office plan to launch in-branch sales at 2,000 Post Office branches before the end of November.
The partnership will also encourage people to return to their local high street and reduces the environmental impact of vans making multiple stops to drop off parcels. Typically, parcels sent via a ParcelShop or Post Office will reduce carbon per parcel by 45%. Most ParcelShops and Post Offices operate longer opening hours than traditional retailers, in-branch pick-up and drop-off is often a more flexible option for consumers, who may not always be at home to receive deliveries. When the service is rolled out, Evri will have c.11,000 locations to send, collect and return parcels across the UK, which is on par with the number of Post Office branches. 95% of the population living in urban areas will live within 1 mile of an Evri ParcelShop or locker.
Martijn de Lange, CEO at Evri, said: “We’re committed to delivering a high-quality, convenient, and reliable service and this partnership offers our cost-effective options, with great quality benefits such as tracking as standard, within the Post Office’s expansive network to reach more communities. We deliver over 730 million parcels each year and as well as offering domestic services, which sees us deliver to almost every household in the UK, our international services will be available at selected Post Office counters.”
Evri is delivering over 700 million parcels a year. The company has a mission to be the most convenient way to send, receive and return parcels, without costing the earth. Evri works with most of Europe’s top retailers, marketplaces and pre-loved sites. The roots of Evri can be traced back to Yorkshire in 1974 but the business has grown over the decades and now has a team of 7,000+ employees, 20,000+ couriers, 10,000+ out of home locations and a growing network of state-of-the-art hubs and depots. For more info: www.evri.com
About Post Office - With over 11,500 branches, Post Office has the biggest retail network in the UK, with more branches than all the banks and building societies combined. 99.7% of the population live within three miles of a Post Office; and 4,000 branches are open seven days a week.
Nick Read, CEO at Post Office said: “We are fundamentally transforming Post Office by introducing new mails carriers for over-the-counter sales for the first time in our 360-year history. This expanded partnership with DPD and Evri shows how we are disrupting the mails market to offer greater choice for customers and more opportunities for Postmasters as we build a Post Office fit for the future.”
