The surge in online shopping contributed to a 40% increase in parcel volumes over the peakChristmas period for home-delivery specialist Hermes UK, which delivered almost 15 million items in
December alone, on behalf of leading high street, internet and catalogue retailers.The company’s busiest day was 1 December, with 710,000 parcels handled in the network,representing an increase of 30% over its 2010 peak day. This record day came more than a weekearlier than in 2010, as consumers looked to avoid the disruptions of the previous year caused bythe widespread snow across the UK. Overall, Hermes experienced a total of 16 record days ofdeliveries over the course of December, handling more than 600,000 items per day on eight differentoccasions.
Jon Tobbell, commercial director, of Hermes in the UK, commented: “With Internet sales breakingall records this Christmas, we have seen increased demand for our flexible, high-qualityhome-delivery solution. The supply chain is a critical part of any retail operation, especiallyduring the peak trading period, so we are working closely with our customers to provide afirst-rate consumer experience.”
He said Hermes was now partner of choice for an increasing number of retailers within the UK,handling more than 140 million parcels each year.
