CONSIGNIA ROLLS OUT NEW DELIVERY SERVICE FOR HOME SHOPPERS
Consignia today unveiled a new delivery service for home shoppers using
its network of Post Office branches throughout the UK as alternative delivery
addresses.
The organisation is linking the services offered by its three brands of
Royal Mail, Parcelforce Worldwide and the Post Office, to add another
dimension to the range of convenient delivery choices it has already developed
for home shoppers.
The scheme allows consumers to choose delivery direct to a Post Office
branch when ordering from a retailer signed up to the service. Alternatively,
they can opt for delivery to their home but have the package or parcel
directed to their local Post Office branch should they not be at home when
delivery is attempted. Retailers will not be charged extra for this service so
consumers should not see their delivery costs rise.
The vast majority of the 18,000 Post Office branches will be offering the
service, called Local Collect, which also forms part of a concerted effort by
Consignia to find fresh business for the network to replace revenue which will
be lost by the Government's decision to pay benefits directly into people's
bank accounts from 2003.
David Taylor, Consignia's Managing Director, Home Shopping, said:
“Consignia has already developed new services to help ensure that people who
shop from home have a greater choice of the way their goods are delivered.
“But this service, named Local Collect, really does add a new dimension
and will attract many more people to shop from home, particularly those who
feel that the delivery options developed so far still do not fully suit their
lifestyles.
“This service has certainly caught the imagination of retailers and our
trial of the service shows the same can be said for the consumer.''
He explained: “This service is now being offered to consumers who shop
via the 100 companies who sell over 20,000 products via Parcelforce
Worldwide's worldofshopping.com global shopping website and through retailers
Redcats, which runs the well-established Empire and La Redoute mail order
catalogues, figleaves.com, Screwfix Direct and The Cotswold Company. We are in
talks with dozens more retailers keen to sign up to the service and expect
many of these to be offering it to their consumers in the very near future.''
Mr Taylor added: “Delivery at a time and place convenient to the home
shopper, is one of the key demands of consumers and the reaction from
retailers clearly shows that if they can offer Local Collect, they will have
an advantage over competitors who do not.
“But our development of services does not stop here. Consignia will
continue to explore new services to ensure retailers can provide delivery
services to meet the demands of their consumers. Watch this space.''
John Andrews, CEO of Retail Futures, the Global eBusiness Solutions
specialist which runs the worldofshopping.com website, said: “This is an
innovative new development by Consignia which gives retailers the opportunity
to provide consumers with a delivery choice they are demanding.''
Redcats hopes to be offering the service to its customers within the next
few weeks. Head of Logistics for Redcats, Tony Leo, said: “The Local Collect
service can only help to further accelerate the growth in the home shopping
market. We will use it to complement our own delivery operation, so those
consumers for whom it is not convenient to receive a purchase during the day
can choose to have their order delivered to their nearest Post Office
branch.''
Daniel Nabarro, chairman of lingerie and hosiery retailer figleaves.com,
said: “There is no doubt our consumers will use the service and
figeleaves.com could not wait to get on board. It will give us an added
competitive advantage and allow us to rapidly expand our customer base.''
John Allan, MD at Screwfix Direct, the UK's largest mail order supplier of
tools and fixings, said: “Our customers demand a fast turnaround which we
deliver, but many also require the convenience and flexibility of this new
service offered by Consignia.''
The Cotswold Company, specialising is stylish storage ideas for the home,
has signed up to the service and will be offering it to its customers in the
near future.
Ian Vaughan, Managing Director of The Cotswold Company, said: “This
service is really good news for our customers. Increasingly, people who shop
from home expect companies such as ours to be more flexible and make shopping
even more convenient.''
http://www.consignia.com
Notes to Editors:
:: Nine out of ten people live within a mile of a Post Office bran
ch.
Where retailers do not offer the service, or where the consumer does not
request the service at point of order from the retailer, the Local Collect
service will also be available to anyone not at home when an attempt is made
to deliver an item which is too large to be posted through the letterbox or
needs a signature. In such cases, customers already receive an advice of
delivery card giving them the option to ask for re-delivery to their home or
another address nearby, or to collect the item from the Royal Mail Delivery
Office or Parcelforce Worldwide depot. But now, they can also choose
re-delivery to their local Post Office branch, although people opting for this
will be charged 50 pence to cover costs. When providing the service through
retailers, it is guaranteed that parcels will be successfully delivered by at
least the second attempt. This releases savings which can offset the
additional costs of operating the service. Consequently, providing the service
directly to consumers is a higher cost option for Consignia and, therefore,
results in the need to charge for this option.
:: Any parcel or package which is delivered to a Post Office branch,
whether it be sent through one of the standard or premium services offered by
Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide, will be tracked into the outlet using
the Horizon automation system. Information on the items which have been
delivered to Post Office branches will be sent to participating retailers on a
daily basis and they can use this information to keep their consumers updated
on the progress of the delivery of the goods they have ordered.
UNS
Contact: Consignia 020 7250 2468 (24 hour)
Ends SM
PA NEWS, 13th July 2001
