Delivery company Hermes has doubled the number of lockers for UK customers to send or return items to support social distancing and contactless delivery.
The lockers operated in partnership with InPost are located in safe and secure outdoor locations, open 24/7 enabling people to access in quiet times.
There are plans for additional InPost lockers including sites close to hospitals to support NHS staff and other key workers.
Martijn de Lange, CEO of Hermes UK, said, “As the country adapts to changes around social distancing and self-isolation, we are providing more delivery options for customers across the country. As part of this, we have increased the numbers of outdoor lockers located in local communities from 450 to 831, enabling more of our customers to send and return parcels in a safe way during these challenging circumstances.”
He urges people to use lockers sensibly and keep the government’s travel guidance in mind, suggesting they use the service as part of their daily exercise routine.
De Lange said, “This is also important as some of our independent ParcelShops may be subject to changing opening times or closure as things develop and we are urging customers to double check ParcelShop openings before they travel to them.”
Hermes is providing contactless deliveries by asking customers to choose a safe place for deliveries; if a safe place has not been chosen, couriers can leave it somewhere safe; for parcels requiring a signature, doing on behalf of the customer with their permission; or if no safe place is available, attempting delivery three times.