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Royal Mail has promised to almost double the number of parcel pick-up and drop-off points to 45,000 locations across the country by the end of the decade as it looks to meet growing demand from online shoppers and marketplace sellers.
The group is accelerating the roll-out of parcel lockers as part of a target to rapidly increase out-of-home parcel points within five years, which currently stands at over 24,000.
Under the plans, it wants every customer living in an urban area to be no more than five minutes’ walk from a locker, shop or parcel postbox.
Suburban and rural areas will be within a five- and 15-minute drive distance, respectively.
The group said it expects around a third of parcels in the UK to be delivered to out-of-home parcel points within five years, up from around 15% currently.
Locker use is also on the rise, with 40% of UK adults having used a locker in the past year, according to the firm.
Alistair Cochrane, Royal Mail’s interim chief executive, said: “Royal Mail is committed to being the UK’s most convenient delivery company.
“This ambitious new target reinforces our leading position with the largest Parcel Point network in the UK, giving customers even more convenience and choice.
“For many people, nothing beats the convenience of home delivery or collection, but we are seeing a clear shift towards more people choosing lockers and shops.”
Parcel Points come in addition to Royal Mail’s 115,000 postboxes, which can be used for parcels small enough to fit through a letterbox.
Royal Mail is also launching 3,500 solar-powered “postboxes of the future” across the UK, featuring digitally activated drop-down drawers so customers can send parcels as large as a shoebox.
The new design – the biggest change to the postbox in its 175-year history – is tested hertfordshire And cambridgeshire earlier this year and is being expanded across the UK.
The company is also growing its recently launched Royal Mail Shop brand, aiming to feature the brand in around 8,000 convenience stores and offer parcel postage and stamps over the counter.
Royal Mail owner International Distribution Services (IDS) was taken over by Czech billionaire Daniel Kratinsky’s EP Group in June in a deal worth £3.6bn.