Yodel has opened a new 50,000ft² service centre in Basildon, Essex and upgraded two further sites at Aberdeen and Ipswich in a bid to boost its operational efficiency.

The permanent new site on the Burnt Mills Industrial Estate in Basildon is expected to deliver around 14,500 parcels a day in the run-up to Christmas. Seventy van drivers operate from the centre, supported by 54 office and warehouse staff.

Meanwhile, Yodel’s Aberdeen site has been extended following the acquisition of an adjacent unit at the Alterns Industrial Estate in Torry, doubling the size of the original service centre.

The company has also refurbished and reopened its Hadleigh Road Industrial Estate service centre in Ipswich, with new sorting equipment that will allow the site’s 90 drivers to start their delivery runs earlier in the day.

Yodel executive chairman Dick Stead said the various changes would “further enhance our operational efficiency, providing our clients and their customers with an effective and proficient delivery service.”

In October, Yodel unveiled plans to open 13 temporary sites in the run-up to Christmas, comprising five service centres, seven satellite sites to boost capacity at existing locations, and a returns centre in the Midlands.