Britain’s Royal Mail to trial Sunday parcel deliveries

Britain’s Royal Mail is to trial a Sunday delivery service for parcels in response to the increasing demand for goods ordered online. Later this summer it will open around 100 offices on a Sunday afternoon for customers to pick up their parcels. Delivery offices with the highest parcel volumes across the UK will take part in the scheme. The company will also try out parcel deliveries to addresses within the M25 motorway.

“Through these new Sunday services we are exploring ways to improve our flexibility and provide more options for people to receive items they have ordered online. The support of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) has enabled us to respond quickly to a changing market,” says Moya Greene, chief executive of Royal Mail.

“Royal Mail’s announcement about expanding delivery and collection services to seven-days-a-week is an exciting innovation, which we welcome. We have worked closely with Royal Mail to develop how best we can go forward to grow the company together and improve the services for customers,” adds Dave Ward, CWU deputy general secretary.

Royal Mail’s express delivery service, Parcelforce Worldwide, which tends to deal with larger and more valuable parcels, will also offer a Sunday service to retailers from June. It will be up to the retailer to decide whether to offer it to customers.