Milkmen stay a-float with UK parcel post

Milkmen working for Express Deliveries in the Gloucester and Stroud areas now deliver parcels alongside their usual dairy products.

They mostly deliver business products, things like contact lenses, holiday brochures, photographs and magazines.

Ian Rudge, a Gloucestershire milkman for 15 years, delivers around 15 to 20 parcels every day. He receives a specific amount of money for each one.

The 46-year-old from Stroud said: “Some of the customers get quite a shock when they see me delivering parcels with their milk.

“But we’re in the area anyway and often delivering milk to those doors so we might as well be delivering parcels too. It makes sense.”

A lot of the work is delivery of mail shots, which can mean a huge increase in workload, but Express are given a certain amount of time to deliver it and therefore can split it up to ease the load.

One benefit of Express rather than Royal Mail delivering parcels is that they are more easily tracked by the dairy.

All parcels are logged on a list before delivery and the company can then record exactly when it was delivered and by who.

Diversifying could be a major boost to an industry that has been flagging badly in recent times due to the increase in milk sales in supermarkets.

Deliveries in Gloucestershire have declined by around 75% over the last decade while supermarket sales have increased by around the same amount.

Delivering parcels at the same time can provide that bit of extra income that could keep some of these companies afloat.

Nichola Hedge, a spokeswoman for Express Deliveries, said: “We’re utilising our existing infrastructure and so far it’s been going really well.

“We’re on target to deliver six million parcels this year. It’s providing a lot of additional revenue for the business.”

Express Dairies is the UK’s leading supplier of liquid milk and cream with a market share of approximately 25% in England and Wales.