Sainsbury’s and Royal Mail have launched a new “long-term partnership” that will see the postal group’s parcel lockers rolled out to Sainsbury’s stores.
The new parcel drop-off points launched this week in an initial six Sainsbury’s supermarkets – in Clapham, Desborough, Kempshott, Low Hall, Kidderminster and Chislehurst – and will be rolled out across its estate as part of a “fast expansion” plan over the coming months.
Shoppers are able to use the “hassle-free” lockers to drop off parcels for delivery via Royal Mail. The red smart lockers feature label printing, with shoppers pre-paying for postage online. Although they currently cannot be used to collect parcels, Royal Mail will add a collection service “soon”.
Sainsbury’s is the first supermarket to partner with Royal Mail owner International Distribution Services (IDS), which launched its own rival to existing parcel locker players like InPost in December. The postal group aims to “cater for the growing number of second-hand marketplace sellers”, it said.
“Partnering with a retailer with the scale and popularity of Sainsbury’s is great news for our customers and the UK public, who will now have even more ways to drop off and collect their parcels in convenient locations,” said Jack Clarkson, Royal Mail group strategy and transformation director.
“Due to the relentless growth in online shopping and secondhand marketplaces, there is increased demand from our customers for more parcel drop-off and collection points.
“To meet our goal of making sending and receiving parcels as easy as possible, we must considerably expand our network. This is the start of an exciting partnership with Sainsbury’s that will help us to meet that goal at pace,” he said.
It’s likely to be the starting move of a growing partnership between Sainsbury’s and Royal Mail, as Daniel Křetínský’s £3.6bn acquisition of IDS looks set to be completed this month.
Křetínský holds a 10% stake in Sainsbury’s through his VESA Equity Investment group. The UK government approved the takeover of the struggling Royal Mail by his EP Group in December, but the process has been delayed by regulatory hurdles in Romania. The deal is now set to be completed by 30 April, The Guardian reported earlier this month.
“At Sainsbury’s we’re always looking for innovative ways to deliver the best value, quality and service for our customers,” said Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s chief property and procurement officer.
“That’s why we’re delighted to be partnering with Royal Mail to offer this fantastic new proposition at our stores. The lockers will be available seven days a week, giving customers an easy, convenient way to drop off and collect parcels via Royal Mail as they shop.”
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