Hermes has revealed that each of its ParcelShops handled an average 60 parcels a week in the run up to Christmas, as more than 60,000 parcels were moved through the network during the festive period.

The carrier has also hit its target of opening 1,000 ParcelShops by the end of 2012, just five months after launching the service in June 2012 with 500 locations.

A spokesman for the firm said: “The volumes for ParcelShop are running ahead of expectations and in December each location was handling on average over 60 parcels per week.”

By the end of 2013, the carrier plans to have expanded its network to 2,500 retail outlets across the UK. The service offers SMEs an alternative way of sending parcels and also functions as a returns point for online retailers.

Hermes also plans to expand the service to allow consumers to specify a location near them to collect a parcel as an alternative to home delivery.