DHL Parcel pilots parcel lockers for apartment buildings in Germany

Deutsche Post DHL’s domestic German parcel business has launched a pilot project to install private parcel delivery boxes within apartment buildings. DHL Parcel is partnering with Germany’s largest housing company, Deutsche Annington, to install the parcel boxes, Paketkästen, within apartment blocks it manages.

Starting this month, the pilot will initially see parcel lockers fitted at locations in Berlin and Dortmund, although more areas are planned.

The company said the new DHL parcel boxes will allow tenants to receive their parcels at any time, regardless of whether they are home or not to receive them.

It will mean saving a visit to a post office or neighbour to collect a parcel.

DHL said the lockers will be secure to avoid theft, and as well as accepting parcels for collection, the lockers will allow apartment tenants to send returns or other stamped parcels directly from home.

The parcel boxes will be free of charge for apartment tenants, and can be accessed via an RFID chip or hand scanner. Tenants can use them by registering at the paket.de website, where they will receive a unique digital key for the parcel box in their building.

Convenience

Andrej Busch, CEO at DHL Parcel Germany and DHL Parcel Europe, said the pilot was part of his company’s efforts to improve the convenience of parcel delivery.

He said: “Whether we deliver to the Packstation, the parcel box or the doorstep, our goal is to respond to our customers’ needs and make receiving parcels as simple and convenient as possible.”

DHL said the new parcel boxes worked in similar fashion to those at its 2,500-strong network of DHL Packstation locations. Delivery staff place parcels in the parcel box compartments, and recipients receive a notification of the delivery through their usual mailbox.

The personal parcel box key means that only the tenant and delivery staff have access to the respective compartment.

Konstantina Kanellopoulos, Head of Product Management at Deutsche Annington, said: “When our renters come home their parcels will be there waiting for them. We pride ourselves on the service we provide our renters, and we want to continue providing these kinds of extra services into the future.