Car park company Apcoa and petrol forecourt operator Rontec have signed deals to become locker hosts in Parcel Pending by Quadient’s Open Locker Network, enabling people to drop off and pick up parcels from major carriers including DHL, DPD and Evri at over 1,000 new locations.
For consumers the use of lockers reduces the risk of their parcels going missing or being stolen, while are also a more convenient and sustainable ways to pick up and return orders. For for hosts, lockers open additional revenue streams, both from the lockers themselves, and from increasing footfall to sites without needing to install lockers from multiple, competing carriers or other businesses.
Furthermore, when combined with other services, lockers can transform a location into a community hub that provides consumers with an essential destination, reducing the distance travelled and journeys taken by both couriers and consumers and contributing to a more sustainable future, according to the new collaboration.
“Hosting carrier-agnostic lockers is another value-added service we can offer to our customers,” said Kim Challis, regional managing director, Apcoa UK&I.
“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 centres 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.”
The new partnerships represent a milestone in Quadient’s goal of rolling out 5,000 open locker locations across the UK. The 24/7 Open Locker Network represents a new era of convenience for users: allowing consumers to pick up, send and return parcels at a time that suits them.
Read more: Quadient and Evri introduce new returns Drop Box and printer
The lockers’ in-built label printers mean users can easily send returns or other parcels without needing to have a pre-printed label or access to a printer at home. And their robust, modular and secure construction means lockers can be placed almost anywhere, indoor or outdoor, in any configuration, while giving complete confidence that parcels will not be damaged or stolen.
“These partnerships mark a bold step towards meeting our open locker network expansion goals,” added Ian Caminsky, SVP & MD Parcel Locker Solutions DACHIT-UKI, Quadient.
“Our parcel locker solutions provide benefits at all levels: from the hosts who are opening up new revenue streams through fees and increased footfall, and 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 realise the full benefits of being part of our open locker network, and continuing to expand our footprint with more carriers and location partners.”
