THE Post Office will use an independent delivery firm for the first time in its 360-year history.
Courier giant DPD will start to drop packages at the Post Office for click and collect from next week.
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Customers will be offered the service at 250 branches by the end of the month — and at 1,500 before the Christmas holidays.
DPD, which is owned by France’s La Poste, is the second-largest van delivery company in Britain.
Until now, the Post Office had only allowed Royal Mail parcels to be collected from its branches.
But bosses hope to cash in on the huge growth in shoppers using click and collect.
Customers making a purchase online will have the option to choose their local Post Office as the collection point for their parcels.
DPD will deliver them there and staff will process customer collections at the counter.
Post Office CEO Nick Read said: “Combining the biggest physical retail network with one of Europe’s best-known logistical carriers provides greater customer convenience, footfall for postmasters and helps people back to the high street.
“I’m delighted that, through our partnership with DPD, customers can select their local Post Office to collect their parcels and know that they are often open for longer hours, staffed by a knowledgeable postmaster and located moments from where they live.”
The cost of the service will be determined by each individual participating retailer.
The deal should help reduce both companies’ carbon footprint, with vans no longer having to make multiple stops to drop off parcels.
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