DHL Express is expanding its UK B2C presence dramatically through a major partnership with one ofthe UK’s top retail groups, WH Smith, doubling the number of its Servicepoints for consumer parcel
services.The deal will establish the company’s presence on almost every high street around the UK andoffer consumers an efficient and convenient way to send letters, documents and parcels throughoutthe UK and anywhere around the world, seven days a week, DHL Express UK announced.
The arrangement will see DHL Servicepoints rolled out to 400 of WH Smith’s 557 High Streetstores over the coming weeks. This will more than double the total number of DHL Servicepointsstationed in various locations around the country, bringing the total figure to over 750.
The partnership between DHL and WH Smith will expose the DHL brand to around an additionalone million customers who frequent the 400 WH Smith high street stores each day. Servicepointfacilities are a key part of DHL’s successful expansion into the consumer and occasional usermarket, and the concept is expected to continue growing around the country.
DHL Express UK and Ireland CEO, Ken McCall, said: “We identified a gap in the market and ourresearch showed us that consumers want choice, easy access and well priced express deliveryservices which is exactly what the Servicepoints offer.
“In the lead up to Christmas, the new DHL Servicepoints located within WH Smith stores willhelp consumers around the country to do their shopping on the high street and then send theirpackages via an express network quickly and easily every day of the week.”
The new in-store concept gives consumers the option of sending items in one of the sixavailable boxes that range in size from an A4 envelope to a box large enough to fit a printer orfax machine. The Servicepoints conveniently enable customers to pack and pay for their parcels atWH Smith stores which are then collected by a DHL courier each day.
Customers will pay an all-inclusive price based on the size of the parcel and the deliverylocation, with boxes and packaging provided free of charge. There is no weight restriction, allpackages are signed for on delivery, and customers can track the progress of their parcels onlinethrough the DHL Servicepoint website.
WHSmith High Street Managing Director, Steve Clarke, said: “We are delighted to announce thisagreement with DHL, which further enhances the range of services WH Smith provides by extending ourdelivery services offer to a much wider group of customers.”
