Royal Mail is Opening Eight Dedicated Parcel Sort Centres for the Christmas Period

ROYAL MAIL TO OPEN EIGHT DEDICATED CHRISTMAS PARCEL SORT CENTRES TO HANDLE THE GROWTH IN ONLINE SHOPPING

• Royal Mail is opening eight dedicated parcel sort centres for the Christmas period to handle the major rise in the volume of parcels due to the ongoing increase in the number of people shopping online
• The parcel sort centres are being set up to sort a significant proportion of the parcels Royal Mail handles before they are distributed around the UK and delivered to the door by Royal Mail’s postmen and women
• The parcel sort centres are in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Swansea, Bolton, Tamworth, Peterborough, Swindon and Greenford. They will open on a phased basis from today (5 November)

Royal Mail is opening eight dedicated parcel sort centres to handle the major parcels increase as a result of the continued growth of online shopping as effectively as possible.

The parcel sort centres are being set up to sort a significant proportion of the parcels Royal Mail handles before they are distributed around the UK and delivered to the door by Royal Mail’s postmen and women.

The parcel sort centres are in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Swansea, Bolton, Tamworth, Peterborough, Swindon and Greenford. They will open on a phased basis today (5 November).

The investment in the dedicated parcel sort centres is in addition to the substantial financial commitment Royal Mail normally makes on additional resources to handle the festive mailbag.

Major preparation for Christmas

Mark Higson, Royal Mail’s Managing Director of Operations and Modernisation, said: “Christmas is the busiest time of year for Royal Mail and our customers. Royal Mail has invested in eight dedicated parcel sort centres to increase our scale and improve our flexibility during this important time of year for our customers.

“As we do every year, we encourage people to post early and order presents early to help us spread the workload of handling the festive mailbag in the run up to Christmas. We also encourage people to make sure they correctly address their cards, letters and parcels, including using a postcode. Customers can check postcodes for free at www.royalmail.com/postcode-finder.”

Royal Mail’s 2012 Christmas stamps are available from tomorrow (6 November). The five stamps, designed by Axel Scheffler, the best-selling children’s illustrator, feature traditional Christmas scenes and characters including Father Christmas, festive robins, Christmas trees and a reindeer.