With
its parcel volumes increasing as the industry enters its annual peak
season, independent carrier Yodel announces its investment in three new,
strategically positioned, permanent ‘super’ service centres in
Livingston, Waltham Cross and Southwark. These additions to its estate
support Yodel’s capability to deliver up to 4.9m parcels per week in the
run up to Christmas.
Over
the past year, the carrier has already opened larger service centres in
Northampton, Selby, Farnborough and Alfreton, strengthening the Yodel
network that stretches across the UK. In total the seven new sites have
boosted Yodel’s final mile capacity by 22 per cent, reducing the need
for additional temporary sites during the seasonal Christmas peak.
The
Livingston and Southwark sites opened last month (October) and Waltham
Cross began operating on 6 November. All the acquisitions form part of
Yodel’s ongoing £30m investment programme, which includes significant
upgrades to IT, mechanical handling and training as well as its estate. The
new locations were chosen for their proximity to major motorways and
town centres. They will streamline Yodel’s trunking from its central
sorts and provide good access to regional towns.
Dick
Stead, executive chairman of Yodel, said: “These recent investments
form part of our structured plan to increase not only capacity, but also
the quality of Yodel’s service centre infrastructure. With our
long-term goals focussed on providing excellent customer service, these
developments demonstrate the on-going commitment Yodel has to
consumers.”
The
acquisitions have been overseen by Yodel’s chief operating officer,
Keith Basnett, who added; “We are delighted with the opening of three
more strategic sites. These recent site openings strengthen our stamp on
the industry, as we continually explore new ways to streamline the
delivery process and ensure we can provide a top quality service to our
clients and their customers. More locations are being investigated to further optimise our network and we expect to open more centres in 2016.”
In
addition to its permanent estate, Yodel has opened two temporary sites
for the Christmas peak season, at Preston and Brighton, and established
temporary extensions to over 18 service centres to enable it to cope
with the increase in parcel volumes in the coming weeks.
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