Ten Doddle stores in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Brighton, Norwich, and Glasgow are to join the myHermes Parcelshop network of 4,500 outlets. The rest of the 43-strong Doddle network is expected to follow suit by the end of 2016. There will be no additional charges for customers using the myHermes ParcelShop services at a Doddle store.
Tim Robinson, Doddle CEO, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Hermes to offer more customers than ever before the option to choose Doddle as a pick up location at the checkout of their favourite retailers.
“The core Doddle offering is about convenience and customer service and we look forward to working alongside Hermes to provide a great last mile experience for our customers.”
Over the last year, the number of parcels passing through myHermes ParcelShops has risen by 47%. Of the 4,500 myHermes ParcelShops, 80% are open until 10pm, whilst 92% of the population now live within just two miles of an outlet. This coverage, combined with the accessibility of the Doddle stores, which are located at high footfall locations such as train stations and open early until late, ensures that the UK’s millions of commuters also have access to a host of parcel solutions outside of standard business hours.
Martijn de Lange, COO of Hermes, said: “Choice and convenience is at the heart of Hermes and we are committed to building on this through innovative technology, significant investment in our infrastructure such as a new £31m super hub in Rugby and by partnering with like-minded organisations. Doddle is a great brand that shares our commitment to high levels of customer service so we are extremely confident in this partnership.”
The challenge of making click-and-collect services more convenient for customers is explored in more depth in this series of recent features here on eDelivery:
- Is click-and-collect still fit for purpose?
- Click-and-collect: If it’s broken will they still come?
- Click-and-collect: Broken or changing, you decide