Royal Mail customers can now drop off parcels in convenience stores around the UK using the Collect+ network.
More than 700 locations are now live in shops including Londis and independent newsagents, with 5,000 planned by summer.
The multi-year agreement, announced in February, will enable Royal Mail customers to drop off packages up to large parcel size using 1st and 2nd class and Tracked 24 and Tracked 48. This applies to both returns and items that someone has paid for the postage for online and either printed a label or generated a QR code.
Joshua James, owner of Fresh and Proper store in Fordham, Cambridgeshire, one of the first locations offering the service, said: “We are already seeing interest among our usual shoppers and expect the service to increase our footfall as more people locally begin to use us for drop offs. We are also enjoying getting to know our local postie thanks to their collections!”
Nick Wiles, PayPoint chief executive, said the company has a number of activities planned for the coming year to promote this service.
“We know that people today want as many options as possible to make their lives more convenient, which is why we continue to provide our retailer partners with additional services and market leading brands that drive footfall and generate commissions. In doing so their businesses are set-up for success to grow, as well as remain essential access points for the day-to-day services local communities rely on,” Wiles said.
In the future, the service will be expanded to enable customers to collect online purchases. The locations can be found on the services for you section of the Royal Mail website.
Nick Landon, chief commercial officer at Royal Mail, said: “By giving our customers access to the Collect+ network we are significantly increasing the number of locations where they can drop off parcels and giving them more options to do so during weekends and evenings.
“This helps us meet demand from the growing number of customers who pay for parcel postage online and is one of the ways we’re continuing to make sending and receiving parcels as convenient as possible by giving customers greater choice.”
