Collect+ expands cheaper delivery for retailers

Collect+, a cheaper alternative to the post office, has launched in the UK and allows retailers to send parcels through 3,500 local shops.

Parcels up to five kilos in weight will cost £4.99 and those between five and ten kilos in weight will cost £6.99. This compares with £9.58 to send a “standard parcel” of below six kilos using the post office, or £12.61 for parcels below 10 kilos.

The retail service, which was launched in February 2009, has expanded and now customers will be able to send parcels to anyone at a time that suits them, with Collect+ outlets generally opening seven days a week, from early in the morning until late at night.

At present, the PayPoint branded retail network in the UK totals over 22,500 terminals located in local shops (including Co-op, Spar, McColls, Costcutter, Sainsbury’s Local, One Stop, Londis and thousands of independents) meaning there are at least 19,000 further outlets that Collect+ could use in the future.

In practice, the Collect+ method is very different to using the Post Office. You must add recipients’ details online, then pay upfront using a credit card, debit card or PayPal, before printing out a postage label and dropping your parcel off at your nearest Collect+/PayPoint store.

Dominic Taylor, chief executive of PayPoint, notes, “Neighbourhood convenience stores are an integral part of local communities but they are facing unprecedented pressures, so the ability to offer a range of in-store services helps to differentiate these shops and gives them a competitive edge. Collect+ is an exciting addition to the range of services they are able to offer their local communities.”