Debenhams renews Nightline partnership
One of Britain’s biggest department store chains, Debenhams, has revealed that it has renewed its partnership with Ireland’s independent delivery firm, Nightline. The retailer has announced that the decision to sign a contract extension was based on Nightline’s ability to fulfill orders placed by Ireland’s rapidly increasing number of online shoppers. Nightline handles goods destined either for home delivery or in-store collection which are bought via Debenham’s Irish website.
The retailer’s Head of Logistics, Anthony Leach, explained that “strong, consistent” service had been critical in underpinning further expected growth both in the Republic and Northern Ireland.
“We consider reliability to be a key element in our appeal to e-consumers and that has been very evident since we first began working with Nightline back in 2010.
“We are experiencing growth both in ‘click and collect’ and home deliveries, and it’s essential that we have a partner which can support us not just now but also as those levels increase.
“In Nightline, we have found a company which can do that extremely well but which has the capability to help us refine and expand our offering to shoppers in the future.”
Since Debenhams launched its website aimed at Irish consumers in 2011, Ireland’s consumption of e-commerce has expanded rapidly. The most recent figures available suggested that the country’s shoppers accounted for €3.8 billion of online sales in 2012 – up 25 per cent on the year before. Almost three-quarters of purchases were made from domestic websites, including Debenhams’ own (www.debenhams.ie).
The volume of online sales is expected to rise still further with the introduction of a national postcode system in Ireland next year, making home deliveries more efficient than ever before.
In addition, Mr Leach said that Debenhams had seen a “significant” increase in the number of ‘click and collect’ purchases processed by its 16 stores across the island of Ireland.
Nightline now handles more than one-in-four of all parcels moved across Ireland. The number of registered users of the Parcel Motel locker network, which became operational in July 2012, also recently passed the 100,000 mark.
Nightline CEO John Tuohy claimed the Debenhams contract extension demonstrated how his firm was regarded as a major facilitator for brands looking to penetrate the Irish e-commerce market.
“We’re delighted to be able to renew terms with Debenhams after a very successful initial period working together and we look forward to further growth and future developments.
“No matter whether retailers are large or small, Irish or foreign, one of the key ingredients in tapping into the tremendous appetite which Irish consumers have for e-commerce is reliable delivery.
“There also needs to be the capacity to allow retailers to satisfy shoppers’ desire for more flexible methods of delivery. Judging by our roster of retail clients, I’d like to think that Nightline has proven itself as a partner which they can both rely on and grow with.”