Doddle parcel shops launch at UK railway stations

The ‘Doddle’ parcel shop concept was yesterday officially launched in the UK with fully staffedshops in and around train stations across the country enabling customers to collect and return

The official launch of the concept rolled out by Britain’s Network Rail follows a successfultrial at Milton Keynes Central station near London that started in December last year after morethan a year of research.

In addition to the shops at Chelmsford and Waterloo, Doddle yesterday officially opened itsstore in Milton Keynes with further shops opening in London, Southampton, Woking, Birmingham,Glasgow, Basingstoke, Three Bridges, Tonbridge and Bromley South, Surrey in the next four weeks,with up to 30 stores to be opened by Christmas.

In June this year, Network Rail announced plans to open 300 e-retail collection and returnsservice locations in the next three years at train stations and major hubs, expected to create3,000 new jobs.

Network Rail has invested £24 million in the expansion of Doddle, which is a joint venture withentrepreneur Lloyd Dorfman, creator of the Travelex Group, the world’s largest non-bank foreignexchange business. Doddle operates as in independent, standalone limited company, with Network Railand Lloyd Dorfman holding equal shareholdings.

Shoppers wishing to take advantage of the new service to collect, send and return shipments canregister at www.idoddle.it/register. The Doddle shops areavailable to all retailers, parcel carriers and shippers. Open seven days a week from early morninguntil late in the evening, to fit in with consumers’ busy lifestyles, they are separate from otherstation facilities such as ticket offices, luggage storage or other shops. Online shoppers canorder items from any retailer and have them delivered straight to their nearest Doddle store, readyfor collection at their own inconvenience.

The retailer revealed that six in ten (61%) shoppers had missed a delivery in the last sixmonths. Almost half (49%) of the consumers surveyed by Doddle said they struggle to collect orreturn items they order online. Clothes and footwear that don’t fit are the most common unreturneditems, followed by cosmetics, gadgets and items of homeware. CDs, DVDs, DIY products and toys werealso cited as common items that Brits don’t bother to send back.

One in three people don’t bother to return up to £90 worth of online purchases every year due tothe frustrating returns process. This situation is now expected to change with the return processbeing significantly simplified by Doddle.

Tim Robinson, Doddle CEO, said: “We are all too familiar with having to queue up on a Saturdaymorning to collect our parcels or getting home to find we’ve missed the delivery. We are givingback time wasted on waiting around for these deliveries by offering a quick alternative that isconveniently located on commuter journeys. For the first time ever, collecting, sending andreturning items will now be a doddle.”

The British rail network today carries around 50% more people than it did a decade ago, withanother 400 million rail journeys to be made every year by 2020 and projected passenger growth toreach 36% in London by 2031, according to Network Rail.