Royal Mail and the Post Office are partnering to trial the installation of parcel lockers at Post Office branches across the UK, giving customers the ability to send, collect and return parcels 24/7.
The six-month trial will see lockers installed outside selected Post Office branches, allowing access outside of normal opening hours. The lockers are intended to complement existing Post Office services, with branches continuing to sell the full range of Royal Mail products.
The trial forms part of Royal Mail’s wider strategy to expand the range of options available to customers for parcel delivery, collection and returns. The lockers will allow customers to send and return parcels using QR codes, with built-in label printing for those without access to a printer. Customers will need to pay for postage online or request a QR code when returning items.
Royal Mail said the lockers will provide an additional channel alongside its existing network of more than 24,000 parcel drop-off and collection locations. These include 11,500 Post Office branches, almost 8,000 Royal Mail shops, 1,200 Royal Mail Customer Service Points, 1,400 parcel postboxes and around 2,400 parcel lockers already in operation.
Anna Malley, director of partnerships and acquisitions at Royal Mail, said, “The Post Office is one of Royal Mail’s most important partners, and this is an exciting step forward in how we work together. The trial reflects our commitment to meeting a wide range of customer needs whilst also maintaining existing options.”
Neill O’Sullivan, mails and parcels director at the Post Office, said, “After a 370-year partnership with Royal Mail, we continue to innovate and ensure parcel services meet the needs of customers who want the flexibility of using a locker for their parcel collection and delivery.” He added that Post Office would evaluate the impact of the trial, including benefits for postmasters, over the coming months.
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