Halfords has added its 460 UK stores to DPD’s PickUp parcel collect and return network.
Announced back in January, the network will go live in June, and has Rowlands and Numark Pharmacy chains already signed-up as part of plans to establish 2,500 PickUp shops across the country.
DPD’s CEO Dwain McDonald said: “Halfords is a fantastic addition to our new network and I am delighted to welcome them on board. They are a trusted High Street brand with a great reputation for customer service and helping people. Their stores are in prominent locations with customer parking which is ideal for people wanting to pick up parcels.”
Katrina Jamieson Director of Digital for Halfords added: “Halfords prides itself on helping customers with their ‘life on the move’, therefore working with DPD to give busy consumers another parcel delivery option is a really good fit for us. Like DPD, we put the customer at the centre of everything we do. DPD’s technology is second to none and as a result, they already have a very smart proposition. We’re confident that our branches and our people will complement that and give their customers a really viable, joined-up alternative to a home delivery.”
When the initiative was unveiled in January McDonald said: “Our aim is to offer a collect and return service with a difference. We’re looking to give DPD PickUp customers an outstanding service experience – from the communication at purchase about their delivery options, right through to the PickUp shop environment and the service they receive there – which means working with high quality retail outlets who share our customer service ethos.”
DPD has highlighted three key benefits for users of PickUp:
- The option to deliver to the nearest DPD PickUp point will be offered at the point of sale, as a convenient alternative to a DPD home delivery.
- A DPD PickUp delivery will be one of the ‘in-flight’ options available in DPD’s text and email notifications ahead of a scheduled home delivery. So if customers aren’t going to be at home they can divert their delivery to a DPD PickUp point at any time before the delivery is made.
- Customers can manage any returns via their local DPD PickUp
Last year, DPD was singled out by polls in Which? and MoneySavingExpert. Earlier this year, it announced it was helping set up a business incubator to find start-up businesses to develop the home delivery innovations of the future.
Construction of DPD’s new £100m parcel hub at Hinckley in the East Midlands is now complete. The facility, which will be the largest of its kind in Europe, is on schedule to open later this year, creating another 1,000 permanent full-time jobs.
