Parcel delivery company Evri is rolling out 10,000 lockers across the UK as the popularity of away-from-home delivery booms.
The “smart lockers” will be accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and can be used for both pick-up and drop-off, Evri said.
The £50 million investment will bring convenience and cost savings for customers, as well as environmental benefits, the company claims.
The so-called final mile of delivery, when a package is transported to a consumer’s doorstep, is often the most challenging, industry experts say.
The parcel giant says it has seen a 500% year-on-year increase in locker usage.
Evri hopes to have 2,000 lockers ready for Christmas 2025, with the rest rolled out before 2030.
They will be equipped with a label printer, drop box and parcel detection sensors.
The company also intends to continue the growth of its ParcelShop network of independent convenience stores.
Martijn de Lange, chief executive of Evri, said: “We are committed to offering greater delivery choices for the consumers, retail clients, and businesses that we serve.
“This major multimillion-pound investment will establish one of the UK’s largest pick-up and drop-off networks, as part of our mission to become the UK’s premier parcel delivery business.
“Our expanding network of locations is shaping the future of parcel delivery in the UK with smart technology and greater accessibility.”
Yorkshire-based Evri recently announced a deal to merge with rival DHL’s UK ecommerce business, in a move which will see it also enter the UK business letter market for the first time, competing further with Royal Mail.
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But the deal is being investigated by the UK competition watchdog as the tie-up promises to create one of the UK’s largest delivery firms.
In April, Polish parcel locker firm InPost struck a £100 million deal to buy UK rival Yodel, combining the home delivery and collection networks to form one of the largest logistics groups in Britain.
Royal Mail launched its own lockers at the end of last year as part of its expansion of parcel points.
