Sainsbury’s and Royal Mail launch partnership to install lockers in supermarkets

Sainsbury’s is the first supermarket chain to partner with the Royal Mail to help it rapidly expand its network of parcel drop-off and collection points.

The Royal Mail launched its parcel locker network back in December, to meet “surging demand for convenient parcel drop-off and collection points” and to cater to the growing number of second-hand marketplace sellers.

Six lockers have already been launched in Sainsbury’s supermarket in Clapham, Desborough, Kempshott, Low Hall, Kidderminster and Chislehurst, with fast expansion planned over the coming months.

The smart lockers feature label printers, and prices start from £1.55 for a small parcel.

The Royal Mail, owned by International Distribution Services, is set to finalise a £3.6bn sale to Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský, and has fallen behind UK rivals such as Amazon and InPost in the surge of ecommerce driven parcel lockers.

Jack Clarkson, group strategy and transformation director at Royal Mail, said: “Partnering with a retailer with the scale and popularity of Sainsbury’s is great news for our customers and the UK public, who will now have even more ways to drop off and collect their parcels in convenient locations.

“Due to the relentless growth in online shopping and secondhand marketplaces, there is increased demand from our customers for more parcel drop off and collection points. To meet our goal of making sending and receiving parcels as easy as possible, we must considerably expand our network. This is the start of an exciting partnership with Sainsbury’s that will help us to meet that goal at pace.”

Patrick Dunne, chief property and procurement officer at Sainsbury’s, said: “At Sainsbury’s we’re always looking for innovative ways to deliver the best value, quality and service for our customers. That’s why we’re delighted to be partnering with Royal Mail to offer this fantastic new proposition at our stores. The lockers will be available 7 days a week, giving customers an easy, convenient way to drop off and collect parcels via Royal Mail as they shop.”