The Post Office has announced it has secured an agreement with Evri to trial in-branch sales, parcel pick-ups and drop-offs. 

The Post Office is the UK’s largest retail network, with over 11,500 branches, and this is the first time in its 360-year history that it will be directly selling end-to-end delivery products that are not fulfilled by Royal Mail.

The trial will use Evri’s ParcelShop self-service device, which will have a dedicated  area within branch to enhance the customer experience. It will take place in 50 Post Offices before Christmas.

With 93% of the population living within one mile of a Post Office and most branches operating longer opening hours than traditional retailers, in-branch pick-up and drop-off is often a more flexible option for consumers, who may not always be at home to receive deliveries.

The partnership will also encourage people to return to their local high street and reduces the environmental impact of vans making multiple stops to drop off parcels.

Nick Read, Chief Executive at the Post Office, said:

“Evri is a household name and we’re delighted to be working with such an established and successful company to expand the wide-range of parcel services that we can offer customers. This is the first time in our history that Post Offices will be selling products for end-to-end delivery with another carrier.

“Last January we had no carrier partnerships, and we’ve now grown our Click and Collect capabilities fivefold, which is a real testament to the size and reach of the Post Office network and the accessibility it affords consumers. We now look forward to trialling Evri Parcel Shop services in 50 of our branches ahead of Christmas.”