Blackburn tells trans.iNFO that InPost’s 5,000 lockers are spread across the UK. The company’s website backs this up to certain extent, in that there are InPost lockers as far north as Dingwall in Scotland as well as lockers also available in the opposite end of the country in coastal cities like Plymouth.
However, as Blackburn explains, it is high-density areas in large cities where InPost lockers are more commonly found:
“Our locker network is currently spread across the UK, with our biggest presence being in high-density areas such as London, Birmingham, and Manchester, where 46% of residents are within a seven-minute walk of an InPost Locker.”
Parcel lockers can be found almost anywhere in Poland, where InPost made the invention almost synonymous with modern day life in the country.
In the UK, however, InPost has been centering its parcel lockers near popular retail outlets and public transport hubs.
According to Blackburn, the reason for this is the high footfall at these locations:
“Our lockers can primarily be found at convenient locations such as at train stations, in petrol forecourts, in shopping centres and at supermarkets — all of which enjoy high footfall and help consumers to benefit from ‘trip-twinning’,” Blackburn tells trans.iNFO.
Given the apparent slower growth of parcel locker networks in the UK compared to Nordic nations and Poland in particular, some are doubting the appetite that British consumers have for the machines.
Blackburn admits that every market InPost operates in “has a different adoption and uptake of out-of-home delivery options”.
Nevertheless, Blackburn is bullish about the prospects of out-of-home delivery services in the UK, telling trans.iNFO that InPost is “achieving rapid growth”. He also notes that the company is seeing sustained demand for out-of-home delivery in the UK.
“Lifestyles and shopping habits have changed dramatically over the last couple of years. With online shopping here to stay, consumers are constantly on the lookout for convenient and speedy ways to receive and return their goods. As a result, we are seeing sustained demand in the UK for convenient and hassle-free parcel services, particularly out-of-home options,” says Blackburn.
Keen to back up these claims with real data, Blackburn referred to the company’s recent results, which showed a rise in Q3 parcel volumes in the UK.
“Our growth reflects this appetite, with InPost Group’s most recent financial results revealing that Q3 volumes increased by 227% in the UK compared to the same period in 2021. We are sure that this mindset is here to stay and expect demand to continue apace over the course of the coming year,” says InPost’s International Commercial Director.
When asked about the scale of InPost’s ambitions for the UK market, Blackburn did not refer to any specific target, but stated that the company is “aiming to scale significantly to make InPost a name synonymous with the UK delivery market.”
Photo: Michał Beim, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons