Royal Mail has announced plans to almost double its network of out-of-home parcel points – including shops, lockers and parcel postboxes – to 45,000 locations by 2030, as it aims to make parcel collection, sending and returns more convenient for customers.
The postal operator has expanded its multi-channel network significantly over the past two years, launching parcel lockers and more recently its Royal Mail Shop brand to meet growing consumer demand for flexible parcel services. The expansion is designed to ensure that customers in urban areas are within a five-minute walk of a Royal Mail parcel point, with targets of five and 15 minutes’ maximum drivetime in suburban and rural areas respectively.
The rollout will build on Royal Mail’s existing infrastructure, which includes 115,000 postboxes and 3,500 “postboxes of the future” currently being upgraded to handle parcels up to the size of a shoebox.
To reach its 2030 goal, Royal Mail plans to accelerate locker installations in high-footfall areas, grow the Royal Mail Shop brand – with nearly 8,000 convenience stores now offering over-the-counter parcel and postage services – and maintain existing access points through its 11,500 Post Office branches and delivery offices. The company is also exploring innovations such as self-service kiosks, retailer partnerships and wider use of parcel dropboxes.
Royal Mail said its expansion plans reflect changing consumer behaviour, driven by the continued growth of online shopping and marketplaces such as Vinted. Currently, about 15 per cent of UK parcels are delivered to out-of-home locations – a figure expected to rise to around one-third within five years. Locker use is also becoming mainstream, with 40 per cent of UK adults having used one in the past year.
Alistair Cochrane, interim chief executive at Royal Mail, said: “Royal Mail is committed to being the UK’s most convenient delivery company. This ambitious new target strengthens our leading position, with the largest parcel point network in Britain, giving customers even more convenience and choice.
“For many, nothing beats the ease of home delivery or collection, but we’re seeing a clear shift towards more people choosing lockers and shops. Our strategy is to maximise our own network and work with partners to ensure we are always the nearest and simplest option for sending, collecting, and returning parcels.”
Royal Mail fined again for delivery delays
Meanwhile, Royal Mail was fined for mail delivery delays for a third year in a row, the country's communications regulator Ofcom said Wednesday.
The £21-million fine, double last year's penalty, comes as the postal service has failed to sufficiently improve its performance.
Royal Mail was taken over by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky's EP Group this year, bringing the 500-year-old postal service under foreign ownership for the first time.
“Millions of important letters are arriving late, and people aren't getting what they pay for,” said Ian Strawhorne, Ofcom's director of enforcement. He added that Royal Mail must make “significant improvements, not more empty promises.”
The regulator warned that a failure to meet delivery targets would result in more fines.
The company recently returned to operating profit as cost-cutting measures were implemented including voluntary redundancies and fewer deliveries for certain non-priority letters.
“We will continue to work hard to deliver further sustained improvements to our quality of service,” Royal Mail said in a statement.