Post Office set to accept parcels from DPD and Evri alongside Royal Mail in huge shake-up for customers

In a first-of-its-kind move in the Post Office's 360-year history, the postal service is set to accept parcels for delivery from companies other than Royal mail.

Customers will soon be able to send parcels from delivery carriers DPD and Evri over-the-counter in Post Office locations up and down the UK. The service is expected to be rolled out in selected stores in time for the busy Christmas period, launching in late November.

It is believed that the move may have come as customers voiced dissatisfaction at the Royal Mail service, which has also been hit with strike action over the past year. The company has also missed delivery targets, which bosses blamed on strike action and high staff turnover, and is now under investigation by watchdog Ofcom.

Nick Read, chief executive of Post Office, has denied that the Post Office was turning its back on Royal Mail, which has had sole monopoly on parcels sent through the Post Office for more than 300 years. He said in a statement: "We are fundamentally transforming Post Office by introducing new mails carriers for over-the-counter sales for the first time in our 360 year history. This expanded partnership with DPD and Evri shows how we are disrupting the mails market to offer greater choice for customers and more opportunities for Postmasters as we build a Post Office fit for the future.”

Elaine Kerr, CEO at DPD UK, said: “Buy-in-branch extends our working relationship with the Post Office and will help provide more choice and convenience for UK parcel shippers. DPD parcel recipients can already collect their parcels from Post Office branches and regard them as safe and trusted locations for a wide range of services. The new service will help reinforce the unique position the branches have and, for the first time, give face-to-face parcel customers genuine choice over how they ship."

Martijn de Lange, CEO at Evri, added: “We’re committed to delivering a high-quality, convenient, and reliable service and this partnership offers our cost-effective options, with great quality benefits such as tracking as standard, within the Post Office’s expansive network to reach more communities. We deliver over 730 million parcels each year and as well as offering domestic services, which sees us deliver to almost every household in the UK, our international services will be available at selected Post Office counters.”

DPD and Evri have grown in popularity over the years, with online stores often using the delivery services to send parcels to customers. On its website DPD claims that it delivers more than 260 million parcels every year, with Evri - the UK's biggest dedicated parcel delivery service - claiming to deliver more than 700 million. Evri underwent a re-brand in 2022, amid claims that the name change from 'Hermes' was due to poor customer satisfaction and claims of poor customer support.