Nightline opens new depot
Nightline Group has formally opened its new €2m depot in Dublin’s North City Business Park in a ceremony attended by Ireland’s Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Alex White. As Post&Parcel reported in April – when Nightline first announced details about the depot – the 30,000-square facility is dedicated to servicing Nightline’s network of Parcel Motel locker terminals. Sources have informed Post&Parcel that the depot started operations in June/July.
The Minister said that the depot will “drive competition in the sector and ensure that Ireland remains a well-connected and efficient network for private residents and businesses alike”.
In a statement issued by Nightlight on Friday, Parcel Motel General Manager Orla Sheils revealed that growing demand from Ireland’s online shoppers had swollen the number of users to more than 160,000 people.
Eight of the company’s 11 sites across the Irish Republic are also going to become alternative parcel pick-up points for subscribers to the Parcel Motel system.
Ms Sheils said the changes underlined how important convenience is to consumers.
“The volume of online orders placed by Irish shoppers is one of the fastest-growing in all of Europe.
“They need the kind of flexibility, convenience and economy in deliveries which Parcel Motel offers.
“As the number of goods bought via the internet continues to rise, we recognise the value of providing even more capacity to cope, hence a depot solely processing parcels destined for lockers across the country.
“We are confident that it means our being able to cope with the expectations of consumers and retailers as we prepare head into the busiest period of the year for the parcel industry.”
The new depot has three times the number of workstations to process goods for delivery to Parcel Motel lockers than the system had been able to call on at Nightline’s Mygan Park headquarters.
Along with the new site, facilities have been established to allow consumers to collect packages directly from Nightline’s premises in Athlone, Tralee, Waterford, Sligo, Cork, Galway and Limerick rather than from a Parcel Motel terminal.
Ms Sheils added that the Parcel Motel network has handled more than 1.5 million parcels in the last year – more than double the figure for the previous 12 months.
