DPD to launch new Sunday delivery service for retailers

Delivery company* DPD is set to become the first UK carrier to provide a nationwide express Sunday delivery service for all its customers. The service, which will start on 20 July 2014, will help create more than 500 new jobs around the UK as DPD’s depot network expands to accommodate a seven day week.

The new service will also mean that, for the first time, DPD will be able to collect from business customers on a Saturday for next-day delivery on Sunday. Equally, on a Friday, online retailers will now be able to specify either Saturday or Sunday delivery. Deliveries will be made between 9am and 5pm on a Sunday and DPD’s network of more than 50 UK depots will be open during those hours.

From launch, DPD will have the ability to deliver to over 98% of the UK population on a Sunday and the service will include DPD’s award winning one hour Predict timeslot deliveries, where parcel recipients are notified by text or email of their one hour delivery timeslot in advance, and can then track their driver in real-time all the way to their front door.

Dwain McDonald, DPD’s CEO said; "I’m delighted to be able to announce our new Sunday service. We know from talking to retailers and recipients that there is a real demand for Sunday deliveries. The majority of our larger customers in the retail sector are moving to a 24/7 operation, so we wanted to make sure that they have a trusted delivery partner that can provide a full collection and delivery service every day of the week too.

"Saturday has long been the busiest retail day of the week, but with the blurring of the offline and online retail boundaries it can now also be the busiest day for e-tailers. Therefore it is very appealing for e-tailers to be able to offer next-day delivery for those customers who buy on a Saturday.

"The launch of DPD’s one hour timeslot service Predict was a game-changer for the delivery market. Now customers are far less tolerant of having to wait in all day for a standard courier to turn up. But the market has moved on and shoppers want immediate delivery, seven days a week. Predict gives you complete control over when and where your parcel is delivered – from the initial notification on your smartphone on Saturday evening, to tracking the driver to your door or being able to relay alternative instructions to him in real-time. As a result, I think most people will see this kind of smart Sunday delivery service as an excellent addition to their options.

"We are committed to an unrivalled programme of investments in the UK to ensure we have the smartest technology, the most up to date network infrastructure and the best people. Our weekend service is proof of how this can all come together to provide an unbeatable package for retailers looking to differentiate their delivery service."

With DPD’s Predict service, recipients receive a notification of their delivery the evening before and are able to access five ‘in-flight’ delivery options, including; ‘Change the delivery day’, Deliver to a specific neighbour’, ‘Deliver to a safe place’ and ‘Collect from nearest depot’. These can be accessed via a smartphone, tablet or desktop at any point during the delivery if the customer can’t be at home on the day to accept their parcel. DPD now send around 1.1 million Predict notifications every week and approximately 10%, or over 100,000 recipients, use one of the in-flight options.

DPD recently announced its most ambitious expansion plans to date with the development of 15 new depots in the UK in 2014, including three new ‘super-depots’ capable of handling 25,000 parcels a day. Construction of DPD’s new £100m parcel hub at Hinckley Commercial Park in the East Midlands is well underway. The facility, which will be the largest of its kind in Europe and capable of handling 70,000 parcels an hour, is on schedule to be completed in 2015, creating up to 1,000 permanent full-time jobs.