Quadient is to expand its Parcel Pending by Quadient open locker network in the UK, with two new host partners – parking mobility technology provider Apcoa and forecourt company Rontec – representing more than 1,000 potential sites for lockers.
The lockers are expected open additional revenue streams for hosts, both from the lockers themselves and from increased footfall without needing to install lockers from multiple, competing carriers or other businesses. In conjunction with other services, these lockers are intended to transform a location into a community hub that provides consumers with an essential destination, reducing the distance traveled and journeys taken by couriers and consumers and contributing to a more sustainable future.
The new partnerships represent a major milestone in Quadient’s goal of rolling out 5,000 open locker locations across the UK. The 24/7 open locker network enables consumers to pick up, send and return parcels at a time that suits them. Three major carriers – DHL, DPD UK and Evri – have already signed up to use the locker network, with a fourth carrier soon to be announced. The lockers’ in-built label printers mean users can send returns or other parcels without needing to have a pre-printed label or access to a printer at home. The lockers’ robust, modular and secure construction means they can be placed almost anywhere, indoors or outdoors, in any configuration, while giving confidence that parcels will not be damaged or stolen.
Kim Challis, regional managing director at Apcoa UK and Ireland, said, “Hosting carrier-agnostic lockers is another value-added service we can offer to our customers. We have invested heavily in using technology to help our customers and their communities, from convenient booking and payment systems to installing electric vehicle charging points. We are also rolling out ‘urban mobility hubs’ that turn existing parking locations into distribution and logistics centers for greener, more efficient last-mile deliveries. These lockers will help our customers make fewer journeys, reducing their fuel use and costs while helping create a more sustainable environment.”
Gerald Ronson, chairman of Rontec, said, “We want our forecourts to offer everything our customers might need. Enabling people to pick up parcels while refueling will cut the number of journeys they need to make. Not only will this make drivers’ lives easier but it will also help reduce traffic on nearby roads, easing congestion and lowering emissions in our local communities.”
Ian Caminsky, senior vice president and managing director of parcel locker solutions DACHIT-UKI at Quadient, commented, “These partnerships mark a bold step toward meeting our open locker network expansion goals. Our parcel locker solutions provide benefits at all levels: from the hosts who are opening up new revenue streams through fees and increased footfall, to carriers who can reach more customers more efficiently with fewer stops, to consumers who can send and receive parcels securely at their own convenience, and to local communities that see lower traffic. We are looking forward to helping these hosts realize the full benefits of being part of our open locker network and continuing to expand our footprint with more carriers and location partners.”
Read more key lockers updates from the parcel and postal technology industry, here.