Same-day delivery company CitySprint has said its Christmas peak was later than ever in December, as more online shoppers left their orders to the last minute.

The courier firm said it handled nearly 500,000 retail deliveries throughout November and December with its busiest day falling on 19 December, a day later than in 2012.

It also reported that orders remained high up until Christmas Eve, with several deliveries made on Christmas Day itself. Hundreds of deliveries were also made on Boxing Day as online shoppers took advantage of the sales.

CEO Patrick Gallagher said: “This Christmas we saw many retailers responding to customer demand for more flexibility and convenience by offering later cut-offs, evening and same day deliveries which ran all the way until Christmas. As consumers put their faith in retailers and distributors, it’s no surprise that our peak day edged even closer to Christmas.”

  • To see how some of the UK’s other major carriers performed, take a look at this week’s issue of Motor Transport (13 January).