Collect+ launches parcel sending service
The service will operate from a network of 3,500 local shops as an alternative to the Post Office.
Collect+, the parcel delivery service, is today announcing the launch of its service that allows consumers and small businesses to send parcels through their local corner shop. Collect+’s new service is available through 3,500 stores within the PayPoint network. It is the first parcel delivery service to challenge the Post Office by offering deliveries and parcel collection direct from the high street.
Consumers are able to send parcels from their local, participating corner shop directly to any UK address. The service is competitively and transparently priced, with parcels up to five kilos in weight costing £4.99 and those between five and ten kilos in weight costing £6.99. This compares with £9.58 to send a ‘standard parcel’ of below six kilos or £12.61 for parcels below ten kilos at the Post Office for a comparable three day delivery service.
The launch of the expanded Collect+ service comes as it announces that it has managed the return of one million items to retailers including ASOS, Littlewoods, K&Co and Boden.
Collect+ outlets are generally open seven days a week, from early in the morning until late at night, allowing customers to send their parcels at a time that suits them. The service answers a demand from the public and small firms for a convenient parcel delivery service which offers longer opening hours, freedom from queues and with simple, transparent pricing.
Mark Lewis, CEO of Collect+, comments,”Customers tell us that it is inconvenient to drop their parcels off during the working day and that they want a more convenient option. Two fifths of those that use our service to return goods to our retail partners do so outside normal hours or at weekends. Today’s launch extends that convenience to personal deliveries, allowing us to offer a simple parcel send alternative matched to modern lifestyles.”
The Collect+ network of 3,500 stores is extensive, ensuring that 75 per cent of people in towns and cities across the UK are within a mile of their nearest outlet. Collect+’s ambitious expansion plan will ensure the service is even more convenient, placing it at the heart of local communities.
Dominic Taylor, CEO of Paypoint, believes that Collect+ is a valuable addition to the range of services that convenience stores offer: “Neighbourhood convenience stores are an integral part of local communities but they are facing unprecedented pressures, so the ability to offer a range of in-store services helps to differentiate these shops and gives them a competitive edge. Collect+ is an exciting addition to the range of services they are able to offer their local communities.”
To use the Collect+ service, customers need only visit www.collectplus.co.uk, enter the postcode they want the parcel to go to and print out a label to attach to their parcel. Payment is taken online resulting in a quick and simple drop off in the corner shop.
