The company created the new employed role of part-time, dedicated weekend delivery driver, following a 40% increase in weekend parcel volumes in the last year. The expansion is due to the general growth in e-tail traffic and more retailers promoting the option of weekend deliveries, with fashion and electronic devices two of the fastest growing sectors for DPD.
The company anticipates the number of dedicated weekend drivers will continue to grow and is planning for over 1,000 such drivers in 12 months time. In addition, DPD confirmed that 100 new warehouse jobs had been created in the firm's regional depot network, to support the increased traffic.
Dwain McDonald, DPD's CEO commented: "The increased demand for weekend deliveries is coming direct from the consumer. Online shoppers increasingly expect to get their goods the next day, regardless of when they make the purchase. We also find that many customers now specifically request a weekend delivery for goods like fashion and electronic devices where they want to be sure they are going to be at home to receive it. Retailers trust us to deliver these types of goods safely and professionally, and we're investing in that part of our business to meet the demand and improve the service still further.
DPD recently announced a £150m investment to build an automated parcel hub in Hinckley, Leicestershire. The new hub will be located close to junction 1 of the M69, just two miles from the firm's Hub 4 and International Gateway in Sketchley, which both opened in 2015. Hub 5 will be capable of handling 71,000 parcels an hour, increasing DPD's total overnight parcel sorting capacity by 60%. Building work is likely to commence in October of this year and the facility should be operational by October 2020.