Post Office partners with DPD to roll out ‘click and collect’ services

The Post Office, the UK’s largest retail network with 11,500 branches, has announced its first external tie-up in its 360-year history with DPD for ‘click and collect’ services.

The deal will see DPD delivering parcels directly to Post Offices from next week, providing a convenient location for people to collect their purchases. The ‘click and collect’ service will initially be available at around 250 Post Offices this month before rolling out to approximately 1,500 branches across the UK ahead of the peak Christmas period.

The move is part of the Post Office’s strategy to ensure the future sustainability of its network, while also providing an “innovative offering” to consumers in the fast-growing parcel market, and to drive footfall for Postmasters and the high street more broadly.

It also taps into the growth of the ‘click and collect’ market, which was growing at 14 percent a year before the pandemic, according to research from IMRG. Demand is now expected to increase as businesses implement ‘return to workplace’ policies over the coming weeks and millions of people are less likely to work from home five days a week.

Post Office announces partnership with DPD, its first external tie-up in its 360-year history

Nick Read, chief executive at the Post Office, said in a statement: “Combining the biggest physical retail network with one of Europe’s best-known logistical carriers provides greater customer convenience, footfall for Postmasters and helps people back to the high street as Covid-19 restrictions ease.

“I’m delighted that through our partnership with DPD, customers can select their local Post Office to collect their parcels and know that they are often open longer hours, staffed by a knowledgeable Postmaster and located moments from where they live.”

Elaine Kerr, DPD chief executive, added: “This is a significant, long-term partnership between two brand leaders in the parcel industry and comes at a time when the convenience of online shopping and delivery is more valued than ever. It is great news for DPD parcel customers and for Post Office branches too.

“Our aim is always to get parcels delivered safely, on time and provide recipients with as much choice as possible. This partnership enables us to offer more options at the point of purchase, while the parcel is in-flight and on those occasions when we can’t leave a parcel safely.”

Post Office and DPD partnership benefits environment and high street

The Post Office also adds that the partnership with DPD will play an “important role in cities and towns across the UK in reducing the environmental impact of having vans making multiple stops to drop off parcels, whilst at the same time encouraging people to return to their local high street on foot”.

Research has found that visits to the Post Office help drive another 400 million visitors to other shops, restaurants and local businesses equating to an estimated 1.1 billion pounds in additional revenue for high street businesses. By allowing consumers to make a purchase online and collect at their local Post Office it hopes that it will drive footfall.

It also offers convenience for the consumer as most Post Offices are open for long hours throughout the day and many are open at weekends, with 99.7 percent of the UK population living within three miles of a Post Office.

DPD group also revealed that they have conducted its own review of the last mile delivery and the impact of ‘click and collect’ on the environment, which it states shows that there is a reduction of, on average, 63 percent of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) in the last mile delivery when using the DPD Pickup network.

Read said: “As a society, we are increasingly considering the environmental impact of our activities. This will mean ensuring the last mile of delivery is ‘carbon free’. Our physical network of branches helps make this a reality, encouraging people to walk or cycle to their local Post Office to collect their parcels.”

Kerr added: “Our sustainability strategy is based on looking at every single aspect or our operation and challenging ourselves to make it more efficient by reducing emissions and miles, while improving the service for customers at the same time.

“Having the option to deliver to Post Offices helps us achieve that. DPD will provide all-electric delivery to 10 major towns and cities by the end of this year and 25 locations by 2025. With that and recipients having the option to walk to their local Post Office to collect a missed parcel, the vision of a carbon-free ‘last mile’ is becoming a reality.”