Yodel has predicted that collaboration between parcel carriers is something that its customers will eventually demand, but Hermes has ruled the notion out.
Speaking at the Mail & Express Delivery Show last week Yodel’s executive chairman Dick Stead said the carrier would welcome the opportunity to work with retailers to reduce empty running and encouraged other carriers at to consider working with other parcel firms.
“All parcel carriers have parts of the country that just aren’t economical… However I don’t think we’re mature enough yet to sit together and work [collaboration] through. However the marketplace will eventually demand it,” said Stead.
“We’ll probably always have customers who will want to share our fleet capacity, so if anybody does want to collaborate with us then that will be a helpful thing to do.”
Hermes sales director Gary Winter said working with another carrier is not something it is likely to consider, but it has already taken on additional work for retailers to improve vehicle utilisation.
Winter said: “We are collecting parcels and our DCs are taking returns back [too]. We do a lot of stock movements and retail replenishment, we are involved in a bit of click and collect and we are very efficient in the way we use our vehicles. In terms of collaboration, it’s not for us.”
