Halfords has reached an agreement with DPD, which will see the latter offer its click and collect service through the automotive, leisure and cycle retailer’s stores nationwide.
DPD PickUp parcel shop network is set to launch in June, and in reaching this agreement Halfords, which has 460 stores across the country, joins Rowlands and Numark Pharmacy.
DPD’s CEO Dwain McDonald said: “Halfords’ stores are in prominent locations with customer parking which is ideal for people wanting to pick up parcels.”
DPD PickUp will be one of the ‘in-flight’ options available in DPD’s text and email notifications, which are sent ahead of a scheduled home delivery. It will allow customers to divert their delivery to a DPD PickUp point for collection at a time that suits them if the previously arranged delivery option is no longer suitable.
Katrina Jamieson director of digital for Halfords said: “Working with DPD to give busy consumers another parcel delivery option is a really good fit for us. 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.”
DPD is targeting 2,500 PickUp points across the country In two years DPD has opened 18 new or replacement depots, including nine purpose built facilities. Meanwhile, 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 in 2015, creating another 1,000 permanent full-time jobs.
