Swedish package delivery company Instabox has further expanded its locker network in Europe with the addition of 55 new smart parcel lockers in gym chain Basic-Fit clubs in the Netherlands.
The partnership, which the two companies intend to scale up in the future, comes as Instabox plans to develop a dense network of around 4,000 lockers in the Netherlands over the next two years, following the acquisition of same-day delivery provider Red je Pakketje in May last year.
Instabox currently serves millions of customers across Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands through either delivery to one of its 3,000 smart automated parcel lockers or via home delivery using environmentally friendly vehicles or bikes. Alongside expansion in the Netherlands, the company also recently announced plans to enter the German market.
According to Instabox, the firm has consistently grown by more than 300% per year since its start, making it the third fastest-growing tech company in Europe, according to the Financial Times.
The Basic-Fit partnership
Basic-Fit has long opening hours, with many clubs open 24/7, making them ideal locations for parcel lockers as customers can collect their orders at a time that suits them.
“With this new partnership with Instabox, we make it easy for our members and others to pick up their packages anywhere, anytime. We are happy to be able to offer a new service to our members on their way to the gym,” said Roel de Best, Product Manager at Basic-Fit.
“Basic-Fit is by far the largest fitness chain in the Netherlands, and its clubs are always in centrally located locations. Therefore, we are very proud and happy with this cooperation, in which we place 55 parcel lockers at the entrance of Basic-Fit clubs. We increase the convenience for consumers and simultaneously reduce our CO2 emissions as deliveries to lockers are more efficient,” added Sam Rohn, General Manager of Instabox Benelux.
How the lockers work
During the e-commerce checkout process, consumers can choose delivery via a parcel locker. They will then immediately see the delivery time, but they can pick up the parcel from the locker whenever it suits them. To do so, consumers use the unique access code in their track and trace link. The locker only opens when a consumer enters the correct code. This way, consumers never have to stand in line to pick up a package.
Instabox has had excellent traction with some of the most significant merchants in the Netherlands since its inception in the market in mid-2021. During the past year, the company’s number of terminals in the country grew from four to 11, and the number of employees is now 1,500 compared with 600 at the start of last year.
