bpost: our postwomen and men spend less time behind the wheel
Bpost has added the 3000th Pick-up Point to its network, covering every part of Belgium. This is set to grow towards 4000 in the future as bpost responds to increasing parcel volumes by offering a resilient alternative to home deliveries.
Consumers know exactly what they want: to be able to choose for themselves where their parcels are delivered. To meet that demand, bpost has been building a hybrid network of Pick-up Points since 2014. In 2004 bpost made the decision to supplement its post office network with alternative solutions to improve proximity and convenience for citizens. The current network comprises 656 post offices, 654 post points, 879 parcel points and 811 parcel locker locations, each with its own advantages, customer base and service level. Everyone can drop off or pick up parcels at bpost’s post offices, which also provide a full range of postal and banking products and services, and personal service. As well as handling parcels, Post Points also provide basic products and services, such as stamps and transfers. Handling parcels (pick-ups and drop-offs) is the sole focus of parcel points and parcel lockers.
The optimal geographical spread of this extensive network ensures there is a Pick-up Point in close proximity to every person in Belgium. That means that no one in the country is more than six minutes away – on foot, by bike or by car – from their nearest Pick-up Point. bpost’s 3000 Pick-up Points make up the densest network in Belgium. The ambition is to increase this to 4000 by 2030.
Jos Donvil, CEO bpost Belgium: “This network is designed to be close to everyone. Customers are able to register a back-up delivery location when they are not home, preferably a safe place close-by. Delivery to a Pick-up Point is also preferable to home delivery in terms of sustainability. That is because parcel deliveries can be combined, so our postwomen and men spend less time behind the wheel on the road.”
Green logistics
As well as proximity and convenience, customers who choose Pick-up Points also favour sustainability. The carbon emissions associated with deliveries to Pick-up Points are 30% lower on average than home deliveries. That is because postwomen and men deliver a large number of parcels to the same location on the same journey. In fact, emissions can be slashed by 90% when customers pick up their parcels on foot or by bike. Fewer journeys also translates into less traffic on the road, less noise pollution and fewer accidents. That is why bpost will continue to invest in enlarging its Pick-up Point network and making quality improvements.
bpost is making heavy investments in parcel lockers, which are increasingly popular, having doubled in number over the past few years. Parcel lockers are integral to its sustainable city logistics solution – zero-emission deliveries in urban Ecozones – which bpost continues to roll out in key hub cities (including Mechelen, Leuven, Hasselt and Brussels).