November 2000

Post Office branches are acting as collection points for home deliveries under a trial started by the organisation in November. Initially it covers 1,000 Post Office branches in Bristol, Bath, Taunton, Torquay and Exeter, and the intention is to extend it nationally later.

The service applies to both Royal Mail and Parcelforce deliveries. Eventually the aim is to allow consumers to specify a local post office branch as their delivery point when ordering goods; but during the trial, the service will only come into effect following a failed home delivery. In that case, consumers will be able to ask their local depot to redeliver to a post office instead of to their home.