GeoPost UK, the parent company of parcel carriers DPD and InterLink Express, plans to take on anadditional 900 temporary staff to cope with anticipated record numbers of B2C parcels in the run-up
to Christmas this year.The parcel company, which has already created more than 512 new permanent jobs this year,said most of the temporary vacancies will be for drivers and sorters. Its annualised wage bill willgo up by an additional £25 million due to the extra hiring.
GeoPost is seeing B2C parcel volumes grow strongly in the UK due to the boom in internetshopping and DPD’s “hugely successful” one-hour timeslot delivery service Predict. This service hasgenerated over £50m in new business since its launch in March 2010 and “a flood of major retailers”have switched to DPD, the company claimed.
GeoPost UK’s Chief Executive Officer Dwain McDonald said: “In the run up to Christmas lastyear we sorted 15 per cent more parcels than in the same period the previous year, and in 2012 weexpect another significant increase. This is largely due to the success of our unique Predictservice which gives home shoppers a one-hour delivery window so they do not have to wait all dayfor a parcel.”
He added: “Our aim is to give our customers the same high standards of service all year roundincluding the Christmas peak and this is why we have made this massive extra investment in staff.”
DPD employs 4,200 people and operates more than 1,700 vehicles from over 40 depots in the UKand Ireland, including two hubs in the Birmingham region. Interlink Express is a separatefranchise-based network with more than 140 locations and a combined fleet of some 1,200 vehicles.
