DPD and Evri delivery services will soon be available to Post Office customers for sending parcels over the counter, according to an announcement from the Post Office. This service will be rolled out in selected stores in time for the upcoming Christmas season and marks the first time in its 360-year history that the Post Office will offer carriers other than Royal Mail. This move comes as Royal Mail has come under scrutiny for failing to meet its delivery targets earlier this year, which it attributed to staff strikes and high levels of absence.
Royal Mail previously stated that delivering letters is no longer profitable and has pivoted towards parcel deliveries due to the growing popularity of online shopping, but has seen competition from other couriers. In February, the company stated that it was losing £1m per day. However, the Post Office has affirmed that its partnership with Royal Mail remains of “utmost significance”.
Whilst DPD parcels can already be collected from Post Office branches and Evri customers can use online PUDO and Parcels Online services, this partnership will allow customers the opportunity to use alternative services over the counter. Post Office chief executive Nick Read sees this move as “disrupting the mails market to offer greater choice for customers” and giving “face-to-face parcel customers genuine choice over how they ship”. It’s not yet clear which of the Post Office’s 11,500 branches will offer the new services
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