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Hermes has opened its 1,000th parcel shop, five months after the service was launched.

The firm plans to expand the network to 2,500 sites by the end of 2013, following the opening of the milestone ParcelShop in Stockport.

It launched the service in June with 500 stores nationwide, which offer an alternative for SMEs to send parcels and allow online retailers to offer consumers a convenient returns service. It plans to expand the service next year to allow parcels to be delivered to a ParcelShop rather than to the home.

Chief financial officer Rob Edson said: “Our recent research found that internet shoppers are increasingly influenced by the availability of a broad range of delivery options when choosing a retailer. We are committed to providing a range of services to home, work, neighbour, safe place, store or ParcelShop at a time or day that is suitable for the consumer and fits within their increasingly busy lifestyles.”