Post Office delivers ‘resilient’ performance during festive period

Post Office has reported strong sales performance during the peak festive period, compared with pre-Covid-19 figures.

The total network income for the four-week period from 29 November to 26 December 2021, at £73.8 million, has seen an increase of 15 per cent from the same period in 2019.

However, compared with the 2020 period, when the Covid-19 restrictions created exceptional demand for mails and parcels services, it was a 5 per cent fall.

While the pandemic continued to contribute to a challenging retail environment in 2021, Post Office said it has been able to deliver a ‘resilient’ performance, with 50.5 million customer transactions during the four-week period, down just 1.7 per cent on the same period in 2019, before the pandemic, and down only 1.5 per cent on 2020.

The week beginning Monday 13 December was the busiest week of the year, with 14.6m customer transactions. On Christmas Day itself, 65,000 transactions took place at Post Offices that were open, typically in convenience stores.

Network availability was also as its highest level since before the pandemic, with 11,596 branches trading in December, almost 100 branches over the 11,500 requirement.

“Whilst the parcel market remains highly competitive and challenging, Post Offices have delivered a resilient performance in the face of Covid-19 restrictions, dramatic falls in footfall on our high streets and general uncertainty about the cost of living,” Nick Read, Post Office chief executive, said.

“It’s a testament to the determination and hard work of Postmasters that so many remained open, providing essential services to their community, with well over 11,500 branches trading.

Over 3,100 Post Offices offered ‘Click and Collect’ services for DPD and Amazon for the first time and Read said the firm will expand this service to over 6,000 this year.