Last Mile Brief 15/03/2023: InPost’s UK parcel locker network now boasts 5,000 machines

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Today’s headline story: Deutsche Post strikes set to end following Verdi Union pay agreement

The company adds that its Q3 volumes increased by 227% in the UK compared to the same period in 2021* and that the business now has over 50,000 OOH options across nine major European markets.

Having reached the 5,000 locker mark, InPost writes that there are approximately 290,000 individual locker compartments available for consumers to collect, return and send their parcels across the country.

Moreover, InPost claims that nearly half of residents in London, Birmingham and Manchester live within a seven-minute walk of one of its parcel lockers.

Commenting on the news, Michael Rouse, CEO at InPost International, said:

“We are extremely proud to have installed our 5,000th locker in the UK following a year of continued demand from consumers and retailers alike. In the last 12 months we have seen a huge appetite in the UK for convenient and hassle-free parcel services, and the rate at which we are growing shows that this mindset is here to stay. And at a time when local highstreets are struggling to regain footfall, OOH options such as lockers provide a real and impactful solution to meeting the needs of our communities.”

• The Postal Action Committee has urged Verdi trade union members to vote against accepting the recently negotiated pay deal with Deutsche Post. 
• People in parts of the English district of Portishead say they are now only getting post once a week.
• UK retailer Co-op has expanded its tech-recirculation start-up, Spring, with the introduction of new reusable postal pouches to help consumers cut e-waste and unlock value in their old and unwanted phones and electronic devices.
• DB Schenker has opened operations at one of the largest automated e-commerce facilities servicing its retail customers in Spain, Portugal and France.
• DPD CZ has become the first parcel delivery company in the Czech Republic to transport parcels between depots using a fully electric heavy-duty truck.
• Royal Mail and the Communications Workers Union have agreed to extend talks in order to try and reach an agreement over pay and employment terms.
• UK-based parcel delivery company Evri has partnered with Zedify and Urb-it to provide carbon-free deliveries to all consumers in the Bristol Clean Air Zone.
• A new survey has found two thirds (64%) of customers will leave a negative review when their delivery is delayed or they receive an unsatisfactory response to a “where is my order” query.

• The National Association of Postal Supervisors says there have been 7,000 reports of violent crimes against postal employees in the first year since the elimination of the postal police.
• USPS is facing a backlash after it recently suspended services in a Pennsylvania town.
• UPS and FedEx have begun to take market share from their regional parcel delivery rivals by leveraging generous price discounts, according to sources.
• Kansas is considering whether to allow home delivery of beer, wine and spirits.
• A US court has ruled that gig economy giants including Uber and Lyft can continue treating their workers as independent contractors in the state of California.
• US firms Sweetfin and Stellar Pizza are confident that delivery and food production robots pose long-term cost savings opportunities for restaurants.
• HelloFresh has promised to have its emissions goals approved by the Science-Based Targets Initiative.
• Amazon and Rivian are in talks to scrap the exclusivity part of their electric-van deal.
• FedEx shares have clawed back lost ground after falling back sharply last September to two-year lows when it issued a surprise profit warning, CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson said in a note to clients.  
• Just Eat Takeaway.com has announced that the current Grubhub CEO, Adam DeWitt, will step down from his position.
• Starbucks and DoorDash are entering a newly formed partnership in Canada.

• Sri Lanka’s Postal Service has been declared as an essential service by the country’s President.
• Organisers of the Noosa farmers’ markets in the Australian state of Queensland are launching an online 'click-and-collect’ and home delivery service.
• UPS is open to making acquisitions in India to grow its operations, executive vice-president Laura Lane said.