Leading Irish delivery firm Nightline is spending €5 million on a network of ‘Parcel Motels’ foronline shoppers to pick up their purchases.
The company said it has installed 20 self-service parcel terminals, supplied by Polish groupInPost, in and around Dublin. That number will rise to 100 by the end of the year and the companyaims to create a network of 400 machines across the country by the end of 2014.
Disclosing the investment, Nightline CEO John Tuohy described the Parcel Motel launch as asignificant step for Ireland to embrace the e-commerce boom. “We have conducted extensive researchwhich illustrates the degree to which consumers are not just being selective about what they buybut how they choose to receive it,” he explained.
“Being able to offer greater flexibility to shoppers and the retailers which serve them isintegral to those wishing to capitalise the popularity of internet retail. That idea lies at theheart of the Parcel Motel concept and is the reason why we’re so confident that this will helpdrive the volumes of items which we handle.”
The terminals, which each contain 80 individual storage lockers, have been developed inpartnership with InPost, the Polish firm behind the growing popularity of the locker box conceptacross Europe.
Coming only months after Nightline celebrated 20 years in business, the Parcel Motel launchillustrates the extent to which the company has become the carrier of choice for major retailers,including the Coast, Oasis, Warehouse and Karen Millen store chains.
That extra business led to the sizeable expansion of three of Nightline’s seven Irish depotsearlier this year.
